Scrapyard: Naruto
by Krahae
Summary: Well, fair's fair. Here's the dross and discards; those poor attempts that never were more than that. These will not be finished, and if some miracle occurs to inspire me to continue them, they'll be pulled and put into their own stories. Mostly Naruto or 'Naruko' centric, which you should get by now.
1. Chapter 1

Warning: I'm not pulling any punches with these, as they're SCRAP FILES. This is my raw, personal edits and not screened for much other than my own inner grammar nazi. You can expect just about anything, and I know there are a few scenes of mature and violent content. Some of it _harsh_. So, be warned.

I've resisted the urge to build a scrap file for a while now. Since '09 in fact.

The simple matter of it all is, I'm a perfectionist. I don't like having unfinished work made public. It feels rude of me, and by the simple act of these things existing, I'm proven – at least in a sense – a failure and liar. These are things I never finished, that I put so much time and thought and work into, but never took past some critical point. They make me a liar, in that they're unfinished and there's this tacit we writers make when publishing a work, that we'll finish it. Why start a story you'll never finish?

Those things aside, this will be a file specifically for Naruto works. Which, obviously, I have no finished samples of.

There's a reason for this.

Ultimately, I tired of the material, fandom, clichés and my own lack of motivation and put all of it aside. Losing all my source material that didn't get put on a cloud drive didn't hurt matters. Most of these are half-finished and hanging at best, or simple starts at worst.

"Yukari" for instance… this is a good look into how I write. I didn't need to put 70,000 words into a _prologue_. But, that's how I think. I can't rebuild a world without starting from the ground up.

Also CURSE THIS NEW KEYBOARD. ARGH, my fingers aren't where they're supposed to be! *flail*

Anyway. On with it. First up –

—

**_Shallow Cover_**

Shape shifting was easily the single most useful ninja skill Naruto could think of.

Too bad it had driven him more than a little insane.

Which was why, other than a few slip-ups, he kept it to himself. Why hadn't ninja come up with it a long time ago? Did it take having the Demon Fox in him, to make it work? Surely someone thought to mimic kitsune skills... Well, unique or not, it was his, and he'd keep it hidden as much as possible. Some people had to know, and though that wasn't a problem, he drastically limited it. Let them think it was just some perverted skill, and nothing serious. It wouldn't be an awesome skill and help him with his goal of being Hokage if everyone knew about it, right?

Still, a little showing off never hurt. He'd just have to do it the right way.

Kinda like how he'd taken to that lesson in stealth. It was really hard to hide in a city full of people who knew you, he understood. So, instead of doing that and failing a lot, and getting nothing done, he decided to hide Naruto, but still be there. That was a long time ago, though, and now he had a team. Well, a genin team.

The idea almost made him laugh.

Except he had a job to do, and it wasn't optional. Three years of cover work, building a persona while also training had been hell, but at least he'd gotten a chance to go back and pretend to be a kid for a while. Not to mention meeting the coolest person in the Element Nations... And as much as he wanted to wipe that snide little smirk off Sasuke's face, and punch him in the mouth every time he called him a 'dead last', there were more important things.

Luckily, he'd gotten clearance to drop one of his little acts, and was rather pleased by it.

–

He didn't like his team. Irritation flooded the blonde, as he crouched overhead, listening to Haruno fawn over the Uchiha, who could have been asleep for how he reacted. The kind of obsessive clinging she was doing was certainly irritating, but he could at least say something to the girl. It would be kinder to try and explain why he was so cold, rather than just let the girl chase a ghost.

Eh, not his problem anymore. Not really on the radar, even.

Kakashi was lurking in the trees across from the clearing most likely, watching as well. It would be his style, either that or a clone, as he idled away his morning. Either way, they were observed.

But, who watched the watcher?

No matter, it was time to say hello.

Sauntering into the clearing, the blonde halted by the end of the bridge, happily sipping some tea in a thermos. Steam wafted off the cup, clearly pointing out the early morning cold. He knew enough about Hatake to have expected the delay, so didn't come unprepared. He'd be damned if the man would make him freeze out here. Stupid mind games.

"You're late!"

Naruto's brow rose, as he peered over his cup at the loud girl, wondering if Hatake had arrived while he wasn't paying attention or... Yep, pointing at him. "No. I have a perfectly twenty-eight day cycle," he replied, quietly enjoying the initial stun his comment caused. Rather than bask in the glow of shutting her down, however, Naruto capped off his thermos. He knew her better than to expect-

"WHY YOU-"

A spike of chakra later, and Naruko was glaring down at the girl, her attempted haymaker caught in a hand. Then a fan snapped out, cracking the shorter genin over the head. "Stop being such a brat."

Blinking and wincing at her new headache, Sakura wasn't one to back down lightly. "Hey! Drop that perverted Henge! And what's with hitting me?"

Naruko shrugged, settling the yukata she wore around her shoulders a bit tighter. "One, I don't feel like dropping it. Two," she pointed with her fan at the pink-haired girl as she gathered steam. "I try not to hit girls unless I am one." That jerked a snicker out of Sasuke, which in turn got a smirk out of Naruko. "And what, did you expect me to let you get off a free hit?"

"Never stopped you before, dead last." Naruko's smirk dropped almost as fast as her other hand. Another fan smacked down on the Uchiha's head, making a sharp 'Thack!'. Sasuke glowered, narrowing his eyes.

"I hate stuck up little boys," the blonde girl muttered, pulling her fans back into her wide sleeves, before shimmering back into Naruto's familiar form. He reached down, and retrieved his thermos. While his team worked out their confusion nearby, he finished another cup.

It was at about this time that the sleep-addled genin noted that Naruto wasn't wearing his customary orange jumpsuit. Oh, the color was still present, on a few patches of his gear and the customary swirling icon he always seemed to have on his person, but the balance of his gear was in typical Leaf Village regional camouflage. The effect was faintly reminiscent of fall trees. More curious, the clothes weren't new.

Some few feet away, Hatake appeared in a flare of chakra and displaced leaves from a Shunshin. "Naruto. Come with me." With another flare identical to the one he'd arrived in, he was gone.

Naruto sighed, capping his thermos again and muttering. "Melodramatic primadonna," he groused, forming a half seal and disappearing as well, leaving behind a faint howl of air and a few crackles of red chakra.

Sakura blinked to Sasuke, who was still rubbing his head faintly. "...what the hell just happened?"

–

Shunshin wasn't a combat skill. It could be used in such situations, but the focus needed to 'lock in' a destination, then the chakra use after tended to make it a poor option. For one, any competent opponent can read the tells of the skill, and end up where you went just as quickly. Beyond that, being injured tended to break the needed focus, and left you simply venting chakra stupidly in the middle of a fatal blow.

It was also what made the Yellow Flash a terror in battle. His skill made the impossible dream of a combat Shunshin possible.

For all those reasons and a good guess as to his destination, Naruto dropped out of Shunshin before the Hokage, Kakashi's own jutsu having only just dissipated.

Hatake wasted no time. "What is the meaning of this?"

Below the wide hat, Sarutobi raised a brow. "Excuse me, Jōnin? What was that?"

Kakashi's mouth snapped shut, and he took a calming breath. "My apologies, Hokage-sama. I was... distraught."

The old man grunted, then waved the masked ninja on. "No matter. What is it you need?"

After a gesture to a losely 'at attention' Naruto, Kakashi began to explain. "The Academy records tell me that Naruto Uzumaki is a barely-passing non-skilled recent graduate, who can hardly create a Bunshin clone, somehow knows the Kage Bunshin in replacement apparently, but little else. His test scores make him sound like an idiot."

"Standing right here, you know."

Kakashi glared over his shoulder at the blonde. "I arrive this morning to a subdued Naruto in fitted and worn Field Ops gear, who then uses an unknown skill to become female, and I'm not talking about that prank skill of his!" One step from losing his composure, the one-eyed Jōnin paused, catching his breath. "Something isn't right. I'd appreciate being in the know."

The Sandaime shrugged, slitting an eye to the blonde. Naruto nodded, and the man visibly relaxed. "Very well. Naruto has been released from his covert duty's major requirements so that he may bond with your team, rather than take on an infiltration role. He's been essentially undercover for three years, training during that time as well." Repacking his pipe, the old man spared the Jōnin a glance, to test his reaction. Mild shock was prevalent.

"Why wasn't I informed first?"

"My suggestion," Naruto replied in an even tone. "Your bell test is well documented, as well as its usual results. It causes most potential teams to split up and work independently, and I wanted to observe the Uchiha's actions."

Thinking things through, Kakashi nodded faintly. "I see. And I noted you said 'major duty's requirements'. May I inquire what affect that will have on my team?"

Nodding, the Hokage tossed over a folder that had been on his desk in preparation for Kakashi's visit. "That's what you need to know. We have two major issues both closing on Konoha, one which is targeting Jinchūriki like Uzumaki here," the Sandaime ignored the sudden intake of breath and look that Kakashi shot the otherwise bored-looking blonde. "The other a former student of mine, the Sannin Orochimaru. Both pose potential serious risks to Konoha, and had to be put under all possible scrutiny.

"To that effect, I tapped Naruto here, after he displayed some very... unique talents, early in life."

Kakashi turned to regard the blonde again, and was only mildly surprised to be facing Naruko instead. "What you need to know," the teenage-looking girl pointed out, "is that I'm trained as a covert insert specialist. I can be anybody." To demonstrate that fact, Naruko formed a familiar seal. "Kage Bunshin."

Over the next five minutes, Kakashi had the surreal experience of having his last day played out in small snippets.

Two familiar Chūnin at the Hokage's Tower chatting while he was waiting on the Hokage to see him.

An old woman, walking along the same path he did as he went about his morning routine, getting a coffee and meeting up with some friends.

Two sports enthusiasts at the nearby bar, who were arguing over something he'd not payed attention to beyond their volume, wrapped up in his own thoughts.

A stray dog that had sat and napped in the sun, as he idled near the Memorial Stone.

Dispersing the clones, Naruko shrugged daintily. "Stealth and covert observation. 'Solid' Henge, and Shadow Clones."

Frowning behind his mask, Kakashi regarded the youth. "What skill level are you really?"

"Oh, maybe, maybe Chūnin," the blonde replied, shrugging again. "I have no complex chakra recomposition or shape jutsu. I have no leadership or combat experience. I have two B-rank and three C-rank solo, non-combat espionage missions under my belt. I've also trained briefly," and here the blonde made a sour face, "with a Jinchūriki from Kumo, to better understand my potential. I have yet to progress the theory into practice, however."

The Hokage watched the two of them with mild amusement apparent, noting Hatake's ebbing annoyance at the situation. He was glad the man was looking past his young charge's deceptions, to his possible value. The bitterness Naruko relayed when mentioning her mentor however, made him sigh. "You know why that was so brief, Uzumaki-kun."

Wrinkling her nose in an altogether too-cute manner, Naruko pouted. "Yeah, but I like Yugito-chan," the blonde whined. "And we hardly ever get to talk anymore."

"Be that as it may," the old man pointed out, leveling a slight smirk her way, "you will have more than enough opportunity to catch up in a few months." He pointedly ignored the blonde's muttering about 'time' and 'boyfriends'.

Kakashi nodded faintly. "So, you won't be fully revealing your potential to the team, then?"

Naruko shook her head. "No, not likely. I'll just 'smarten up' a bit. Oh, and be like this more."

That caused the Jōnin to raise a brow in surprise.

AN: Cliche, done before, done to death. Meh!


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: I'm not pulling any punches with these, as they're SCRAP FILES. This is my raw, personal edits and not screened for much other than my own inner grammar nazi. You can expect just about anything, and I know there are a few scenes of mature and violent content. Some of it _harsh_. So, be warned.

Premise: "Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead."

**_Lingering Record of Five Nations_**

–

_ Father liked to talk about how only a human could defeat a monster. It was the backbone of his teaching, of his belief that ensnared so many. His so-called 'Enduring School', the Ninshū that would later be corrupted into your pathetic ninjutsu and nindō._

_ I find it hilarious that it is also humans that create the grandest monsters. Perhaps it is some aspect of the human condition, to materialize those two self-same and selfish impulses – damnation and salvation. A drive to become something beyond human, by aligning oneself with one path, to further define your existence._

_ It is deliciously ironic. By doing so, do you not embrace an inhuman ideal? Casting off the inherent adaptability and mercurial nature that defines humanity, in favor of becoming some static, calcified epitome of a flawed notion. Salvation is beyond mortal comprehension, and damnation is a shadow of sin's weight – no human, no matter how self-elevated, vain, or insane could become such perfect ideas._

_ I wonder if you see the trap, in such a lofty aspirations?_

_ But never forget. It takes a human to defeat a monster, but also a human to create them. For all his virtue, your vaunted and deified Sage also created me, didn't he?_

–

Shinobi by their very nature were cruel, amoral, and simply _wrong_ human beings. She had believed this to be the truth after being sent from her home to another land to serve as a vessel and weapon – but she had tried to refuse that fate, choosing instead to be a nurturer, a leader. To be a human being that wasn't _wrong_.

She had been denied. The might of her home's so-called allies was too much to stand against, as she was. So, she was taken. She was sealed. And like her predecessor, she was all but kept hostage, but in time she found her niche, as well as she could, and worked to her best to be a person she could be proud of. "Maybe," she thought, "I can make a difference by being an example."

Time moved forward, and trials were never lacking, and her progress seemed far too slow. Other villages tried to take her for her bloodline and ability, those within her new home vied for her influence, tried to push her decisions, to take away her freedoms. Regardless, she was resolute. She had the power to make her own choices, even if it was a bitter pill to swallow. They may have forged the weapon she had become, but no one unworthy would ever wield her.

Having a child was a great risk, she knew. In a curious twist, she had help from an unexpected source – and a warning. It was a terrible burden to understand, that possibility, but she did her best. And, to her surprise, so did the one she called prisoner. How wrong everything seemed in that singular moment. It just showed, once again, that shinobi were the least of humans. Nine months wasn't long, but it was long enough to forge an understanding.

And then one of those terrible warnings came to pass, and she was left _empty_ and so alone. Her child, her tenant – her _friend_, her husband... all taken from her for one twisted man's ambition. But, she was a daughter of her homeland. She would not give up, would not surrender. Not to a forewarned fate. Not to loss. Not to a _shinobi_. Weary beyond anything in her remembrance, she fought for each step.

She almost laughed, when meeting her husband and child again, she heard his plan. That laughter turned bitter and hollow when she realized she was no longer talking to the man she loved, and the father of her child, but a symbol of a faceless office, a Hokage, and a shinobi. A man who would put the welfare of a village of murderers who had decided their fate, above her child who had all possible futures before him.

And so, as she put up her barrier of chains to keep out any interference in a semblance of acceptance, she also spared some for her husband, before taking her child back from his immobile hands. "K-Kushina!? What are you doing? The Nine-ta—!"

"Kurama-san," the Uzumaki woman interrupted quietly, and the roar of the great Tailed Beast cut off as suddenly as it had come, hours before. Looking up, the two shinobi – one willing, the other not – beheld the sight of the Kyūbi no Yōko growing still in realization of what had occurred. Kushina, tired to her very bones, rested her back against a tree while cradling her child. Her energy flagging, she slid to the ground as gently as possible, so as to not jostle her precious cargo. "Did we manage it? Is he...?"

The towering form shivered for a long moment before shifting from what seemed a unholy mixture of demon, human, and fox, into a more singular aspect. Demonic chakra compressed, shifted, grew less overpowering. With the miasma of oppressive presence dramatically lessened, the two Konoha shinobi breathed easier, though Kushina's weariness seemed to press down on her all the more. With measured steps, the great fox, now no larger than a horse and in a form more suited to a being bearing the name _kitsune_, paused a handful of steps from the battered woman. Staring at the young woman with a hooded, crimson gaze, the fox took a deep breath, its many tails stilling for a moment before seeming to fall. The gravelly rumble of its voice came with a single shake of a vulpine face. **"The masked fool undid all our efforts. Wresting me from your seal so violently has poisoned the child"** There was a foreign element to the demon's next words, as if it was mulling them over while voicing them, tasting their flavor. **"I... am sorry."**

Minato, wholly uncomprehending of what was going on, continued to struggle in his prison. The woman he'd spent the last few years with was talking civilly to a Bijū? A masked man attacking them, something about Naruto being poisoned, and now she seemed delirious, maybe insane from it all... Hoping to snap the woman out of her daze, Minato pushed harder, raising his voice, "Damn it, Kushina! What are you doing!?"

Tiredly, the recent-mother spared her husband a glance. The sheer amount of pain and anguish there made him pause in his struggles. When her words came finally they were slow and timed to her breathing as if the act of speaking was taxing her remaining vitality. Looking down to the bundle in her arms the woman seemed to lessen, "I don't know anymore, Minato-kun. I just don't know..."

"Kushina-chan, you have to let me go," the man reasoned, his eyes pleading with the woman who held his son. He was growing more frantic the longer the chakra chains held him and kept him from acting, with the Demon Fox standing just a few paces away. "As long as the Nine-tails is free, Konoha is in danger! I have to seal it!"

A rumbling growl was the Yondaime's reply, and after a moment, the sound resolves itself into the mocking laughter of a demon. **"Be silent, fool. Do I look like a threat to your worthless little hovel, insect?"**

"This is the second time you've attacked us, monster," the struggling man spat, writhing against Kushina's chains. "If you truly meant Konoha no harm, why did you continue attacking it after I disabled the masked man's contract?"

The Kyūbi snorted as it settled down on its haunches, forming a the point of a triangle between itself, the struggling Hokage, and the weary mother. A narrow burst of concentrated hatred lanced out like a physical blow, causing the bound man to flinch. **"Turn my back on a human? Worm, do you take me for a fool? My kin are all enslaved by your kind – I have long since lost my trust in your race."** Snorting imperiously, the fox met the man's burning blue eyes unflinchingly. **"I may have lost to you with **_**her**_** help, allowing you to complete your heretical seal..."** the Demon Fox growled, indicating Kushina who still appeared to be lost in thought, **"but to you alone?"** The demon's laughter echoed through the small valley. **"No, little insect. Without **_**her**_** strength, you are nothing. It would not be your pathetic strength that won the day, so do not flatter yourself in thinking a worm like you could drive the greatest of the Bijū off."**

Though he was many things, Minato was first and foremost a ninja of Konoha. Deep in his blood, the Will of Fire burned hot and fierce. His love for the Village that he had called home, that had nurtured an orphan into the man he'd become and given him the hope to change the world after so many wars flared. He loved Kushina – that was never a question – but could he put that selfish love before his responsibility and love for his home? The hat he wore, and the title he carried were his answer. "With her or without her, monster, I will defeat you."

Eyes narrowing, the Kyūbi let a malevolent grin spread across its features. **"Oh? And whose knowledge is it that lead to your little heresy?"** Minato's pride kept him silent, while the demon mocked him. **"I was there, worm. Every hour, of every day. Did you forget who my host was? I know whose knowledge you use in your little toys, and who taught you the secrets that gave you your power. You are nothing without **_**her**_**."**

Their argument was cut short when Kushina's voice snapped between them. "That's enough," panting from her exertion, the woman looked between the two with defeated eyes. The residual green traces of a medical jutsu were fading from her hands, the expenditure leaving her pale and strained. "Kurama-san... the poison. Is there nothing I can do?"

"Poison? What are you talking about?"

Ignoring Minato's question, the Demon Fox regarded the woman who had been its prison intently. Huffing out a breath, the fox looked to the side, **"There is a way. It is... unkind, and presents great risk. Perhaps it would be better to let the child pass..."**

Gritting his teeth, Minato tried once more to reach Kushina, "I don't know what's going on, but don't listen to it! Kushina-chan, let me go so we can end this!"

The cold look the woman gave him preceded the chains wrapping around the Yondaime Hokage tightening painfully. "You wanted to turn my son into a weapon, just like they tried to do to me! You aren't the man I loved, Min... _Namikaze_," she hissed, looking away from the blonde man's stunned eyes. "I won't put him through that same hell. I won't!"

Turning her attention back to the fox, Kushina worked to keep the gray out of her vision. She may have survived the Bijū being drawn from her, but her body was already weakened from childbirth, and the stress of the day was telling. Between the barrier and her chains, she was feeling light-headed and faint, and knew that she didn't have much time. Rather than worry on consequences, she met the Bijū's eyes directly. "Tell me how to save him."

The demon narrowed its eyes, but understood that the woman's resolve was speaking, rather than take the words as a command. **"The seal your mate devised from your lore is cunning,"** the fox remarked, moving to the chained man. At some point those chains had muffled the blonde Hokage, leaving him to glare fruitlessly as the giant fox approached. **"Cunning but incomplete. It alone would not have sealed me away... my power is too great, even with such blasphemous assistance as his work would provide."**

Reaching out, the Kyūbi took the furled silk scroll from Minato's back, moving to lay it out at Kushina's feet. The redheaded woman took the initiative, intently scanning the fūinjutsu there for purpose and errors. When she reached the end, the woman sat back, shaking her head slowly. "It is a good seal. Costly, but... sufficient. I see what you mean, however. He would have had to split your chakra in half, somehow."

**"A task you could have managed easily,"** the Demon Fox pointed out, causing Kushina to blink in realization. **"However, this is now useless. As it is."**

"It would take a medic of Tsunade's level to remove the chakra poisoning your yōki caused," Kushina agreed with a defeated sigh – that lead to her stiffening, eyes widening. "Wait..."

The demon's chuckle resembled the sound of rocks grinding against one another. It was a mirthless noise, to be certain. **"So, you see it now?"**

With a start the woman looked back up, her violet eyes wide in a pale face. "But... no. If I use your Yang aspect in the seal, your Yin aspect within him would accelerate the damage—"

**"If you reverse them, however, the child will survive."**

Kushina shook her head hard. "No, that won't work. Comprising a linked seal like that out of so much yōki of a countering aspect would be almost as bad as the poison. I _have_ to construct the link out of Yang chakra, or... or..." the dawning realization caused the woman to clutch her child to her tightly. Steeling herself, the woman met the demon's eyes once more. "Promise me this isn't a trick. If you can do that, if you can swear that you'll do all in your power to help Naruto, then I'll do this."

The Kyūbi snorted, drawing itself up once more, to tower over the woman kneeling in the dirt over the scroll. **"Swear? Promise? Do you realize what I am offering, woman? For what you have attempted to show me, those months of kindness and friendship, I am offering to subjugate myself once more to being sealed! Do not try my patience, nor my generosity!"**

"It's a mother's duty," Kushina replied quietly to the demon's roaring outburst. "To look after her child first, barring all else."

Those words halted the demon's ire, cooling it to nothing immediately. **"Something else you gifted me with, little human. Perhaps it is weakness that I accepted that part of you – your compassion, your friendship. However, I recall the words I was left with so long ago."** Mulling its previous host's words over, the kitsune huffed out a breath that sent Kushina's red hair flying slightly. The woman had little time left, and the child possibly less. **"Very well. I swear to you, on my name, that my intentions are thus: to help the child you have borne survive, and to cause it no further harm. So I swear."**

Kushina grimaced, realizing there were so many possible holes in that promise that it could mean just about anything, but she had little other option. The only alternatives were unacceptable – letting Minato seal the Kyūbi his way, making the child a jinchūriki and a tool for Konoha, or simply letting Naruto die. Kurama's way could arguably be considered worse... but would allow her child to be free to make their own choices. Naruto would always be in contact with Kurama, and the Yōko would be able to protect him in turn. Because the seal would be constructed differently, it could be opened by the two of them, releasing the Demon Fox. To say the impromptu plan was risky was understatement, and the secondary issues were not... minor. Luck would have it that no one other than herself, Minato, and Kurama knew the truth however.

That did bring up an important question... what to do with her former lover? She shook her head hard. There would be time for that, later. Naruto first – backstabbing Hokage ex-boyfriends after.

AN: I couldn't really think past this part. I had some ideas, but honestly, the scope staggered me. I saw what I was doing, and then what I'd need to finish this, and decided "NOPE". So, scrap.


	3. Chapter 3

Warning: I'm not pulling any punches with these, as they're SCRAP FILES. This is my raw, personal edits and not screened for much other than my own inner grammar nazi. You can expect just about anything, and I know there are a few scenes of mature and violent content. Some of it _harsh_. So, be warned.

Premise: A more inquisitive Naruto, that didn't roll over and take the unkindness of his home in stride. Jutsu experiments gone wrong, and the repercussions thereof.

**_Steeled Hearts_**

It was proving to be one of those days that left the Sandaime regretting ever letting Naruto have a book on sealing. "So, and then...?"

"The door seal was breached, and the Raiton array fired." Naruto blinked up at him as if he were explaining something elementary. "So... yeah. The idiot ate a lightning bolt."

Rubbing his temple, the Hokage regarded his most troublesome charge with a tired eye. "Naruto... you simply cannot continue to set such traps."

The blonde's face bent into a fierce frown. "What then? Am I supposed to just let them break into my home and do whatever they want? Isn't it bad enough that I even need these things?" Standing abruptly, Naruto's chair clattered to the floor behind him. "Whatever. I'm tired of this."

"Naruto," the Hokage declared, open command in his voice, "I'm not done speaking with you."

"I'm done," the blonde muttered, turning a thinly veiled glare at the old man. "Years, Old Man. Years of dealing with this. And I don't know why! I can't get an answer out of anyone, including you. I appreciate what you've done for me, but I'm no idiot. I'm cutting my losses, and trying something else."

A frisson of anxiety ran up the Hokage's spine at those words, spoken with muted hatred and weariness. It just seemed so... wrong for such words to come from a young child. "...what will you do, then?"

Naruto shrugged. "Leave. I've been around foreigners. I see how it's only Konoha citizens that treat me this way. I think my goal would be obvious."

"You cannot leave the Village, Naruto," the Sandaime replied, masking his panic well. Where had he failed? Should he had been stricter in protecting the boy...? But at what cost? Would it have made things better to execute the first few transgressors, so prove a point? How was that protecting the Village, doing his job as Hokage? There simply wasn't an easy way to handle the problem.

In his deeper heart, the Hokage knew he'd wronged the boy. He knew that in other Villages, other Jinchūriki were being raised and trained as weapons and ninja. He knew that one day, Naruto would be needed to defend Konoha from those threats, but would he? To protect, he needed a reason, and it would be a lie to say Konoha had given him anything to earn that protection. If anything, the people of the Leaf were doing a grand job of ensuring their eventual doom. Had his own actions and lack thereof been the things that allowed it to get so bad? The answer was clear... and standing before him.

Ratty castoffs, underfed, and bearing more pain in his eyes than some of his own blooded ninja, the boy of no more than seven years stood ready to abandon all his father had hoped for him, not because of his own failures... but for Sarutobi's. That resilience he'd taken for granted. Just because the young boy _could_ rebound from nearly any hardship, didn't mean he _should have to_. In time, he'd began thinking and worrying less on those things that would break other children. No matter how difficult things got, the blonde always seemed to persevere. Apparently, even he had limits.

Apparently, being told he couldn't leave the place that proved nothing but ongoing disappointment and pain wasn't something the Jinchūriki would stand for. So, Naruto sat, and waited, his blue eyes sharp with something the Hokage had never expected to see aimed his way.

Hate.

"...Naruto?"

"Arrest me," the blonde bit out, startling the Hokage. "Because otherwise the second I leave this office, I'm going to the Capital."

Oh... no. Hiruzen knew that such a thing would be pounced on by the Daimyo like a tiger attacking a weak deer. The son of Minato Namikaze, abandoning Konoha? And yes, it was well known, despite his efforts otherwise. After all, his laws only applied to Konoha. Jiraya's doing no doubt, trying to insulate the youth from the very Councils the Toad Sage despised, and refused to work with. If Naruto made it to the Capital he'd be pressed into the Shogun's samurai before his feet had shed the dust of his travels. Hoping to diffuse this now dire situation, Sarutobi tried a different tactic, "Why are you so so determined to leave, Naruto?"

"Why should I stay? I have nothing here, and what I do have, you're trying to keep me from protecting!"

Wincing, the old man heaved a sigh. Protect Naruto from the Leaf, so that he would protect them later, or allow him to fester in his hatred and scorn? The option of simply revealing his lineage weighed heavily on the old man, but he was stolidly opposed to it. Like many of his decisions, Sarutobi knew he was doing the right thing... wasn't he?

As always, he questioned himself when it came to Naruto. Deciding to put aside his worries and just figure out a middle-ground, the Hokage swallowed his pride, sparing no thought to the fact the impending cataclysm being one of his own making. "What do you want, Naruto? What will keep you, here?"

Narrowing his eyes, the blonde considered the old man for a long minute, his mind working hard for his age. "You really want me to stay, for some reason, don't you?"

"I do. I have a responsibility to you."

Naruto scoffed. "Right. Try again."

Frowning, Sarutobi sharply replied, "Watch your tone."

Reaching up, Naruto scrubbed his hands through his spiky hair, a gesture the Hokage recognized as signaling his mounting frustration. "...forget it. You lie to me, or just don't bother to tell me the truth, then expect me to be happy and respectful about it? I've made my decision."

Standing, the blonde made it two steps before the Hokage regretfully made his decision as well. "ANBU."

Four black-clad men appeared around the blonde, who turned familiar blue eyes to him. Sarutobi could only imagine how Minato's own would mirror the hate he saw there, if he could see how far his hopes had fallen short. "Take him into custody. He will not be harmed."

A pair of hands circled the blonde's arms, but Naruto only laughed derisively, a sound too bitter for his years. Then he spoke the words Sarutobi never, ever wanted to hear. "I get it now. But, I'll never fight for you."

–

"Koharu. Homura."

The two elders settled across from their former teammate with dire expressions. "How did it fall to this?"

Hiruzen regarded Homura with a sad smile. "I got old. I was too content to let the strength I saw in him take up the slack for my own weakness. Never thinking of the consequences of his unhappiness, of how hard he'd be pressed by those that cannot overcome hate."

Koharu sighed heavily. "The psychological reports are... frightening. I hate to say it, Hiruzen, but you made this devil, and you're the only one that can unmake it."

"You got involved, directly," Homura pointed out to the Hokage's mild confusion. "That fine line between love and hate, loyalty and betrayal. You favored him just enough for him to see you as a surrogate guardian. Not a father, or grandfather, but that presence that ensured his safety. Then, you failed in it."

"The problem of course," Koharu mused, "Is that you are also the face of Konoha's ninja. Pushing him into the program now would be a disaster in the making."

"What do you suggest then," Sarutobi grumbled, unhappy already, but with the needling of his advisors, becoming angry. "I cannot change the opinions of all the Leaf. I cannot make people like him, or be kind, or treat him well."

Homura laughed once, bitterly, at that. "Of course you can. You can enforce your own laws. Have you ignored every ANBU report that crossed your desk, regarding him? The Leaf is becoming openly seditious. Everywhere he goes, people refer to him openly as demon. Some threaten him, but more than anything, it is clear to even a biased observer he is hated."

Wincing, the old man bowed his head. "...can I enforce a law to protect him, that damages the Leaf in turn? How can I call myself Hokage, if I do that?"

"You are no leader, if you don't lead," Koharu pointed out. "We know you never wanted to take the mantle up again. But you are the one that holds on to the position with an iron grip." The older woman sighed heavily. "Think of it this way. If Uzumaki turns on the Leaf, who here can stop him? We can't kill him. You know as well as I that the seal needs fifteen years to fully ensnare the Kyūbi. If it is broken before that time, then the beast will be released immediately."

Shaking his head, Homura added his argument. "We cannot hold him, either. The Daimyo's agents watch him, and ask for progress reports. If that wasn't bad enough, the man isn't subtle about his words. Soon, Iwa will learn. Then, there will be no reason to maintain this farce. Who will he blame, then?"

Sarutobi hated to think he was so blinded by the trees, that he missed the forest. Apparently, his laws were openly ignored, to the point of those things he made punishable by death were used as casual insults. Above that, his own leader was openly mocking him, obviously exacerbating the situation by making Naruto an even bigger target, likely in hopes of either the Hokage handing him over, or... to push him to more extreme methods. "Damn it."

It was a pity that the Leaf focused on one rumor, the hurtful one, rather than the other. But then, people were petty and simple, and the Kyūbi humiliated them. Wounded pride was an injury no ninja could forget well.

"Make your decisions soon, before his anger turns to open hatred. Our hands are more tied than we like, and something must be done. If you cannot maintain order with Uzumaki within the Village, the Council will have no choice but to remove him to the Daimyo's care." Koharu pointed out, earning her a glare. "The bottom line here, Sarutobi, is that for all the hate attached to him, Uzumaki will be needed one day. There are eight other Bijū, and intelligence tells us more and more about those that have been found harboring them. We cannot allow the Village to be endangered, and unless you take action to rectify this, and soon, then the Council will take matters into our own hands." The unstated threat was there, Sarutobi knew. That if he was proven to be unable to do this one thing, then he would likely be on the receiving end of the Council, then Daimyo's wrath.

"Very well then... what do you suggest?"

Homura spared his old teammate a grim smile. "We know you have no interest in Danzo's option, and frankly, we aren't much impressed with it either."

"Loyalty is key to this, but to Konoha – not one man." Koharu added.

"Danzo's ambition for power to secure Konoha's future is admirable in words... but I fear the path he takes is one where the ends ultimately justify _any_ means," Sarutobi rumbled, displeased with talk of his less legitimate counterpart.

"Indeed," Homura commiserated quietly. "We had initially entertained thoughts of using his services for the boy, much as he had trained ROOT, but the man's goals began to unravel. It was clear that his view of Konoha is... tainted."

"We will support what we feel is necessary, as per your orders Hiruzen, but his goals for the Jinchūriki are madness. Open war. Conquest. The Leaf is a home and refuge. We are protectors – not conquerors."

There were times when Sarutobi regretted the unstated allowance he gave Danzo, letting the man handle the more shadowed aspects of Konoha's security and well-being. Shimura was the left hand, hidden in darkness, while Sarutobi was the right, embracing the light. At least, in theory. One day he feared the need would arise to strike down the sinister hand, and he worried what it would mean for the Leaf.

"I understand your concerns," the Hokage replied, sparing each advisor a glance, "but what is your suggestion?"

The two elders looked to one another, and Koharu sighed. "ANBU. He needs a goal, a role model. Before, it was you, but that option is no longer viable. The Hokage seat no longer has the luster he once saw." She hated the hurt her words stabbed into Hiruzen, but the truth was simply that. The truth. "However, he has ever seen ANBU as protectors. His own, Konoha's. Through them, you can regain his respect, if not love. Through them, we can reclaim his loyalty."

"At the possible cost of his humanity," Sarutobi groused, easily recalling Itachi's fall from grace.

Homura snorted. "Don't compare the two. Itachi was his own case of issues, and the Uchiha only made it worse. Sending Naruto to ANBU to train and find companionship is not the same as being pushed into service by an overeager clan head, to grasp more glory than his hands can hold."

Chuckling lowly, Sarutobi could only nod. "Yes. I suppose we have a number of good examples, to take from as well." Humming, the old man peaked his hands, resting his chin on outstretched thumbs. "Very well. We shall convene tomorrow to work out the details. And I pray your gambit works better than my own has."

"As do we."

–

There was a prison inside Konoha, and there was ANBU Detainment. The prison, was essentially that. Run by civilians, for them, containing and protecting them. It was deemed by the early Hokages that non-shinobi criminals should not be subjected to the stresses that their ninja counterparts were. Frankly, it was the most humane thing they could have done, not to mention efficient. Mistakes would have been made, and then, as always in the world of strife and death, someone would die.

ANBU Detainment was the sole location for shinobi prisoners within Konoha. There was of course the more secured Vault, located and suspended in the mouth of a volcano, but that was for those who were of no more use to the Leaf. Detainment was special, in that the wardens were often very... involved, with their prisoners.

"Uzumaki."

The blonde Jinchūriki was lucky, in that his order for arrest included the caveat of 'no harm'. Looking up at the ANBU outside his cell, the young boy kept his eyes hooded. "Yes?"

Kakashi sighed beneath his dog mask at the guarded and defeated tone, but knew that the boy's best chances were with the plan the elders had formulated. Steeling his resolve, he continued in a bored, semi-official tone, "You are hereby released into ANBU custody, for supervised training."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told him," Naruto muttered apathetically, laying back down on his bare cot, "I won't fight for you."

"Then fight for yourself."

Again, blue eyes met his under the mask, only this time there was anger. "I can't. If I fight back, then I get punished. If I defend myself, I get punished. If I protect myself, I. Get. Punished!"

By the end, the little boy was screaming, and it was all Kakashi could do not to find Sarutobi and introduce him to Raikiri. So much could have been avoided... "Not here. You will be trained by those outside of the normal ranks. Trained to fight, to spy, to steal, to kill... to win. There are some ninja that are offered places within ANBU after their skills are shown, but few are those that ANBU trains itself."

"Why?"

Simple question... impossible answer. Yet, he was supposed to find one. With a sigh, Kakashi keyed the boy's cell open, letting himself in. He then raised his forehead protector, exposing his most and least treasured memento. "Potential. Need. You have both. This eye can copy any technique. I'm an asset, but I had no idea how to use it, until ANBU took me in.

"But first I had to learn how to let go. I hated Konoha for what it did to my father, and through his decisions, what he did to himself. I hated it for the war that made me lose my best friend, and my own eye. I hated it for exiling the last friend I had, for helping me to take something that was never mine, but gifted nonetheless, so I could go on to learn how to protect those things I would find important to me.

"Here, I learned that hate only breeds more hate. I couldn't go on like that, or it would destroy me." Pulling the barrier down back over his eye, Kakashi took in the thoughtful look on his companion's face. "Tell me what you hate, Naruto."

Not expecting the question, the blonde hesitated. "I... I don't know."

Kakashi shook his head once, slowly. "Yes you do. Think about it."

His expression darkening, Naruto dropped his guard. "Being hated, alright? I hate the looks people give me, that I don't understand the reason for. People I've never met hate me! Why?" Punching the simple cot in frustration, Naruto winced as his hand proved less resilient. "Tch... and lies. I'm sick of seeing people know why, but refuse to tell me. Shopkeepers I try to apologize to, but yell louder about me just trying to fool them. Parents telling their kids to avoid the 'demon brat'. Even the Old m... Hokage-sama," the blonde bit out venomously. "Even he won't tell me."

Nodding, Kakashi handed the blonde a small med kit, that he had unsealed from his pouch as Naruto spoke. "Have you considered that the thing they're hiding from you may be worse than the hate? Than not knowing?"

"How could it be? Whatever it is, it's me," the blonde argued, picking through the box. Shortly, Kakashi realized he had no idea what to do with it, and started slowly, hesitantly helping to bandage the blonde's hand. "Don't I have a right to know?"

"You do," Kakashi admitted. "It's hard to explain, but I agree. In fact, I've been allowed to tell you, but on one condition. Well, technically two."

Naruto blinked up at the man, before his face grew serious. "Conditions first. I don't trust you, and I know this came from _him_."

"Actually," the Copycat corrected, "this comes from the elder council." He would happily omit the fact that technically, Sarutobi was part of that same council, if only as the acting chairman. Seeing Naruto's anger drain away slightly, Kakashi let the ghost of a sardonic smile curve his lips. "One, you train with and become part of ANBU. You won't have missions for a long time, but there are things to keep you occupied."

"What about the Academy?"

The disdain on Kakashi's face was clear. "You won't need that. Two," the strange ninja continued, going terribly serious. "What you learn will be a secret, for you as well. The reason no one could say what it is, is that there is a death penalty involved, to protect you. If you break that law needlessly – however you can tell anyone you like – then you only threaten yourself."

Wariness was overridden by his need to understand. "Tell me."

"Seven years ago, the Yondaime fought against the Kyūbi. He did not, however, kill it..."

– Three years later

It had been years since he'd been to this office. Between that day when he turned his back on the only man to show him compassion, just to betray his trust, and the present where he could honestly say he felt like a member of something bigger and better than himself, Naruto had changed much.

Gone were the secondhand rags, unsuitable for the temperatures of Fire Country. With them, the malnourished frame, and dull, apathetic eyes of a young man with little to live for. Naruto stood tall for his age, and well-postured, having had more than his fare share of lessons on how to carry himself and move from his various mentors. When he'd taken Kakashi's offer in trade for information on his tenant and father, he'd expected a single teacher, to bring him into the ninja world.

What he got instead was ANBU, or rather, an entire division. It was no real resource drain on the Village, as the same numbers of the elite shinobi usually on duty to protect him and secure him were instead channeled to be his caretakers. Not exclusively, of course, missions still had to be done, but the likelihood of all four that had him in their care being away at once was unlikely. Those four typically masked ninja became like family to the blonde, taking the place of mother, father, sibling and friend. The lines between those labels were blurry, and Naruto never really relied on them much. His ANBU division was just that. His. Home and family, as much as he could ask for.

Wolf, unmasked as Kakashi, was a laid-back but intense man with a sorrowful bend to his heart that he hid behind strange humor. He more than the others Naruto related to, not just because of shared pain, but shared history. Where the Fourth was Naruto's biological father, he had been Kakashi's surrogate, after losing his own to the supposed dishonor that drove him to suicide.

Cat's identity took a while to be revealed, as she had been wary at first to open up beyond helping to train the young boy. In that, she was a good and patient teacher. Yūgao proved to be both warm and caring, in her own distant way, once one got beyond her personal mask. It was a matter of seeing past the underneath, as Kakashi liked to say.

Tiger was an anomaly, but that was more due to his personality than any affectation. Tenzo's past wasn't something he would willingly discuss, outside of mentioning that his childhood had been risky. With a strange sense of humor and a sense of immovable loyalty, he was the foundation of what Naruto considered 'home'.

Hawk, like Cat, had been slow to open up, but once she did, she did so without reservation. Hitomi was a Branch-house Hyūga, and one of the most kind and caring people Naruto had ever met. That stood in contrast to her hard, all-business exterior once she needed her mask. It was from her that Naruto learned that masks were just that – not permanent defenses, but things that not only could, but had to be removed at some point.

The reality of ANBU was much different from what his generation heard and spoke of, in near fairy tale ignorance. The Hokage's Special Assassination and Tactical Squad was a collection of talents, much as Kakashi had explained, but what he neglected to mention also said a lot. In the three years Naruto spent training under his various mentors, he never saw another his age. He'd assumed there would be others, but he was apparently mistaken. To the untrained eye, it seemed only Jōnin comprised those within ANBU, but that was also a matter of what was seen, versus what was there. There were those identified as Chūnin in their midst, in fact Hawk started her tour with ANBU as one. As he came to understand, the Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai called on you for what you could offer Konoha, not your rank, or your lineage.

Which was why Naruto found himself, once again, in that hated office. But, did he still hate it? It had been years, and he had learned a lot about how and why those that were chosen to lead and care for Konoha took the actions they did. The hurt was still there – Sarutobi had been more than a Kage to him – but he understood it.

Understanding, however, was not forgiveness. "You summoned me, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi stared back at the young man... no, young ninja before him with a stony expression, however internally he was a maelstrom worthy of the youth's name. According to Kakashi, the young Jinchūriki's hatred had dimmed over the years, as he was taught more and more 'specialized' material. It was somewhat underhanded, but in time he would have been shown such things. As a Chūnin. However, they could not wait for those days – Naruto's working capacity and loyalty had to be assured soonest. And, if what he was told had been true, it was done.

It was only left, to test him. He would do so in the guise of another test. "Yes, trainee Uzumaki. Your overseers tell me you are more than capable of performing at the Genin level, going so far as to improve on basic Academy techniques already. I would enjoy a demonstration. Choose and perform as you see fit."

Naruto blinked once, then nodded sharply. "As you will, Hokage-sama." Standing at attention, the blonde wasted no time. "Henge: Hensō."

Before the Hokage stood a large tawny-furred fox. The old man refused to jerk in surprise, raising a speculative brow. The fox seemed to be torn for a moment, before moving to sit by the Hokage's right hand. In his mind, Sarutobi smiled at the gesture, but showed no outward response, other than to reach down and run a hand along perfectly real fur, feeling muscle and skin underneath. "Remarkable," he offered quietly. "May I?"

The fox watched him make a release seal, and placed a paw on the Hokage's chair. Linking their chakra on the most superficial level, that needed to dispel an external illusion, Sarutobi channeled a Chūnin-grade Kai.

Naruto remained in his fox-form, undisturbed. He repeated the process, three more times, each time using a larger pool of chakra, to the point that the last summoned the blonde's overseers. Hiruzen waved them off, lost in thought. "Excellent. Indeed, amazing. You may release the transformation, Uzumaki."

Nodding, the fox returned to his position before the Hokage, resuming his normal form. Without being asked, he began explaining the Hensō variation. "As you saw, chakra disruption doesn't work on that variety of Henge. Most users find ways to vary the basic Academy skill, in fact it was the origin of Genjutsu, some think-" seeing 'The Professor's' look, Naruto coughed politely, getting to the point. "Right. Hensō doesn't rely on a chakra link, or projected chakra illusion. It's internalized."

"True transformation," the Hokage mused, a small smile coming to his lips. "Indeed remarkable. What are its limitations?"

Sighing, Naruto looked up with something akin to resignation. "Despite using the Sharingan to copy, and the Byakugan to monitor, it appears to be linked to my demonic chakra – yōki. Only I or I surmise, another Jinchūriki can perform the skill."

Sarutobi nodded, not truly happy but also not wholly disappointed. "Then we shall not record that specialized variation into your official file outside of the most vague reference – consider it a Hijutsu, and guard it well. It may prove something that your family, if you chose to begin one, may inherit."

Stunned, Naruto could only nod slightly at the Hokage's favor. "I-I understand," the blonde stumbled hesitantly, before regaining himself. Shaking off his upset, the youth crossed his hands in a seal the Hokage hadn't seen in some time. "Kage Bunshin."

Three identical clones appeared before and around the blonde, but to the Hokage's surprise, they moved in utter synchronicity. "Hm. Kage Bunshin. Not a usual clone technique, however I can see why you find this one preferable. But, this is your demonstration, Uzumaki."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied, in quadruplicate. The next words were thankfully singular. "My chakra reserves make basic skills... difficult to prohibitive. I can create normal Bunshin – in the magnitude of dozens, but no less." It had taken three years for Hawk's rather brutal and mind-exhausting chakra control exercises, purloined from the Hyūga, to get him even that far. "My reserves lend themselves in a most complimentary way to solid clone variants."

Sarutobi nodded, undisturbed by the young man knowing an A-rank Kinjutsu. For all practical purposes, the blonde _was_ an S-rank Kinjutsu, considering his tenant and what could be learned from his seal. "How many variations do you know?"

Here, the blonde scratched an ear. "Mud, which is my worst, Water, which I'm marginally better at, and I have made some progress on the two that my chakra nature compliments, but the theory... is still tricky."

"Hm. Discussion for after," Sarutobi instructed, returning their focus to the clones already present. "I assume you used Kage Bunshin for a reason?"

Naruto nodded. "One of the problems and benefits I found with the Kage Bunshin, is that unlike the normal Bunshin, they're far too independent. It gives away the skill too easily, if they act autonomous immediately." Looking mildly irritated, Naruto continued, "In fact, sometimes they just come out odd."

The Hokage chuckled at that, having had some experience with 'willful' shadow clones in the past. "I see."

"What I found, actually had something to do with puppetry."

Interest piqued, Sarutobi leaned forward. "Hm. Go on."

"Wolf had some experience in Suna, and during a chakra control discussion with Hawk, where we were thinking of more and varied exercises, suggested I start learning chakra strings. He said this would be useful for me later, with one of my father's techniques.

"Well, one thing added up and ended up being used with another, and I figured out that if I maintain a chakra string to a Kage Bunshin, then it'll lose autonomy, and act on my will."

Raising a brow, Sarutobi nodded, realizing the theory behind such a thing. Kage Bunshin, unlike other clone techniques, were raw chakra constructs. Amazingly complex, yet simpler in their own way. Without elemental recomposition, that particular clone variant became exponentially more expensive, resource-wise, as it built structures and maintained integrity on base chakra control and fuel. Connecting a chakra string to a chakra construct, honestly, only made sense.

The simplicity of the answer was remarkable as well, as was the reason why such a thing hadn't been thought of before. Puppetry wasn't common in Fire Country, as they had other entertainments, being a more wealthy, resource-rich land. Wind, however, had drastically different climates and availability of materials. Puppetry evolved from the necessity to use and reuse every tool. The separation of the cultures made such an innovation unlikely. Only a young and intrepid mind, combined with the near encyclopedic codex that was Kakashi, would have imagined such a answer, to a seemingly trivial question.

"Hm, that would explain how they seemed so coordinated initially. With practice, this could be deadly, as you can literally control a battlefield, directly." Nodding, Sarutobi made a small notation on his scroll. "That was very good thinking. Again, I would classify this as a Hijutsu, but considering Wolf also had a hand in it, I cannot consider it 'clan' material. I will make mention of it in the resource material for the Kage Bunshin skill, within the Konoha Jutsu Archive." Seeing the blonde's disappointment, Sarutobi chuckled quietly. "Don't be upset, Uzumaki-kun. Kage Bunshin isn't a skill that's widely used, even by myself. Just because the knowledge isn't private, doesn't mean it can be used freely. Wolf has warned of the mental strains, use of the skill results in?" Naruto indicated a nod. "That is why. Imagine the strain of not only reacquiring all those memories, but also of _coordinating_ them initially. I would suggest any serious work with this being done initially around medics, until you are able to withstand the backlash."

Understanding the man's reasoning, Naruto brightened slightly. "I understand, Hokage-sama."

"Now, the only test remaining, is Kawarimi."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Naruto dismissed two of his clones, and had the last pick up a small scroll. "I've been training with the Shunshin recently, having mastered Kawarimi, but the control requirements are stalling me. I may get it soon," he explained, as an indicator on his working range.

Kawarimi and Shunshin were essentially related, though distantly, being somewhat like cousins. Both utilized chakra to 'charge' a target and the body, to synchronize them so that they could be switched on a moment's notice, but the Body-flicker took it one step further. To Shunshin, one charged the body, and literally pulled oneself by anchoring a location, essentially substituting air. Small debris items were sometimes included, or one's Village token or elemental nature left as a sign, often mistaken for a sense of 'flair'. Those remnants were actually crutches, to make the skill easier. The other defining difference between the two, was range. Kawarimi was line-of-sight, where Shunshin need not be – but the repercussions of heedlessly throwing oneself around were obvious.

Sarutobi understood the youth's meaning, and gestured for him to continue. With little more than a slightly detectable spike in chakra, likely something anyone below a Jōnin would miss, as few honed their detection skills, the two figures swapped places. "I also have an interesting variation on this, I'd like to demonstrate. I figured it out, once I started experimenting with the Clone-string combination."

So saying, the blonde sent his clone, after handing it a brace of kunai, to one side of the office. He threw the scroll nearby, nodding to it significantly. The clone then threw a kunai at the original, with deadly accuracy. The 'original' disappeared in a small puff, testament to Naruto's control, while it appeared that the true Naruto had simply appeared in another location, marked by the scroll.

It took a moment for Hiruzen to properly sort out what his sense told him in that split second, but once he had done so, he clapped in appreciation. "Very nice. You created and substituted with a Kage Bunshin at once, placing it at your target location."

Nodding with a proud smile, the blonde had one more thing to demonstrate. "Working with Hawk and Wolf, one gets a bit spoiled in being able to figure out things. I'd like to demonstrate a rather deadly variation I'm working on with the Kawarimi." That surprised the Hokage, as he nodded, allowing it. "Alright. First, I need to make contact with a chakra string. Hawk tells me that with some time and a few years practice, I'll develop my chakra sense so that I don't need them. But for now, it's necessary."

Representing his intent, the blonde handed the Hokage a kunai. "Just hold that. Assume I'd struck a target with one, or with a physical contact at some point." Backing away, Naruto nodded once, showing he was beginning his demonstration. "I can't get this to work on you or any Jōnin regularly, but you'll see what I'm intending."

With that, the Hokage felt a distracting sense of acceleration, like a vast power source spinning up nearby. Surprised, he immediately tensed himself in preparation. The sensation lessened, and then he noted the fierce concentration on Naruto's face, his hands held in a Ram seal.

Comprehension dawned on the Hokage. Naruto's Bunshin Kawarimi was so easy to accomplish, because he knew, innately, what the signature of his clone's own chakra was. That disorienting sense of something speeding up, accelerating, was the youth matching, or working to match, his own chakra signature, so that he could literally use _him_ to substitute by. And if the pressure being exerted by the boy was any proof, he could do so by force, depending on his target. "Interesting," Sarutobi noted, as he allowed his guard to drop slowly by degrees.

Naruto noted this, and pushed his technique harder. As he did so, Sarutobi suppressed his own chakra, compressing it into lower levels until with a harsh jerk he found himself falling to the floor, his chair no longer supporting him. Laughing openly, Sarutobi clapped again. "Quite remarkable. Yes, I can see why anyone with a large chakra supply, or a knowing target could prove problematic. You could easily pull a Chūnin into the path of their own weapons or technique with that."

Panting with exertion, Naruto smiled slightly, abandoning his new position on the Hokage's chair. "I'm slow with it, as it takes time to 'spin up' as Wolf calls it. Hawk says that I'll speed up the use with my chakra sense and practice, but I wanted to demonstrate, because they wanted your input, and knowledge of it known. This is easily Hijutsu material, as she's found that the same process can be used to power open closed Tenketsu." Rubbing his shoulder in phantom pain, the blonde winced. "Hurts like no one's business to do so, however."

Sarutobi gawked at that last admission, realizing that he had something truly volatile in his presence. "You... who knows of the last?" He questioned with a low voice.

"Only myself, Wolf, Hawk, and now you."

"Keep it so. A counter to the Jyūken, regardless of the difficulty, is not something to advertise. I will speak with Wolf and Hawk to reaffirm that this is classified as a Hiden Kinjutsu – we cannot, absolutely cannot have this knowledge leave Konoha."

Naruto nodded, much to Sarutobi's pleasure. "I understand, and agree, Hokage-sama. Hawk is a dear friend, and though I have had little contact with the Hyūga, I understand their importance. I would not like to know that my talents were used against her, or her family."

The Hokage nodded, pleased with the boy's reasoning. It seemed he passed the test he had intended with flying colors. Not only did he show loyalty and bonds to his teachers, but to Konoha, in those last words. Above that, he was showing trust in his Kage, something that Hiruzen feared irrevocably lost, by showing him these things.

Humming in thought, Sarutobi came to a decision. "Like your Hensō, let this be a Hijutsu, but consider it a Kinjutsu in regard to teaching or alerting others to its existence. Guard it closely, and try very hard not to let any other Hyūga witness its use, idly. It will be found out eventually, but until that time, I'd like for it to remain secret."

"I understand, and agree, Hokage-sama," the boy replied again.

Pleased with the meeting, Sarutobi settled in his seat with a thoughtful expression. "I know it may seem... peculiar, that I classify your simple variations on such low-rank skills as secrets and potential clan-material as I have, but I'm not simply being accommodating. I am not trying to win your trust or loyalty."

Naruto went to argue that he understood that, but halted when the Hokage held up a hand. "Let me finish," the old man requested. "As you know, a ninja's greatest tools are things bound in secrets and deception. These are your tools, made by you. Like a ninja with talents in seals and weaponsmithing, I would not demand they relinquish those labors idly, nor will I request that of you."

Pleased and humbled, Naruto bowed sharply. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." Recalling the meeting and the details of which skills he demonstrated, he noted one request that was made. "I will have the details of the Clone-string technique and the Kage Kawarimi prepared by the end of the day."

Humming slightly, Sarutobi shook his head. "Only the first, Uzumaki-kun. The second I do not want to record, as an enterprising mind may connect the dots, and lead up to the final result."

"As you say, Hokage-sama."

"Now," clapping his hands, the old man leaned forward. "Lets talk about those two clone variants, and how far your sealing has come."

Settling into the nearby chair with a grin, the blonde nearly reminded the Hokage of his mind's image, from years ago. More at ease and content than he had been for years, the old man indulged in one of his private vices with one of his precious people – jutsu theory.

–

"I think that went remarkably well," the Wolf-maked ANBU noted, his smile clear to those who knew his voice.

Beside him, having discarded their nervous fidgeting, the other members of 'Fox-watch' division, as they called themselves privately, nodded. "I think I liked the look on Hokage-sama's face when he realized Naruto could Kawarimi him by force the most," Hawk opined, gaining a chuckle from Tiger.

"Personally, I think he did well overall. He's been Genin-rank by skills and knowledge alone for more than a year. This just lets us specialize his training directly," the ever-thoughtful Tenzo added.

Cat sighed contently. "Finally. I've been getting sick of teaching Konohaken, when he has much more potential for other styles."

"No kenjutsu?"

Shaking her head to Kakashi's question, Cat seemed to stall, consideringly. "Well. Perhaps something small. His frame is still growing – with the change in reach and power, teaching a weapon-style would be almost pointless. Staff, or any other variable-distance weapon being the exception, but we aren't monks."

There was a round of chuckles at that. "You have a point," Kakashi allowed. "Speaking of weapons... I've been thinking... of repairing the Fang."

That brought a hush to the surrounding Jōnin, while Cat leaned in, eager to converse. "Really? Why the change in heart? We all know you have some... history, with that topic."

Reaching up in a gesture that had become nearly trademark between the blonde Jinchūriki and the silver-haired Copycat, Kakashi scratched at the back of his head. "Honestly, I blame the brat. He's been making me think of the future, with all these hints that his skills will be passed on, and knowing he'll be learning his father's own techniques some day."

Yūgao blinked, sitting back hard. "You're thinking of starting a family?"

Chuckling, Kakashi turned his head toward the Hokage's office. "Honestly? I kind of feel like I have one, now."

It was Hawk that breached the distance, laying a hand on the now-nervous man's shoulder. "You two are very close. I think this is a good idea – for both of you."

Nodding, the Copycat let himself lapse into silence, as those around him chatted on, quietly.

– Six months later

"Good morning, Naruto-kun."

"Mornin', Hokage-jiji," the blonde offered back with a respectful tone, if not address.

It was more than enough to bring a smile to the old Hokage's face. "I hope so. And I hope you still think so, after our meeting this morning."

Naruto raised a brow at the man's cryptic words, feeling a spike of anxiety travel down his spine. "Is something wrong?"

"In a manner of speaking," the Hokage allowed, taking off his hat and laying in on the desk before him. "But first, may I ask how your training progresses?"

Brightening, Naruto nodded, happy to delay whatever it was that had the Hokage concerned. "Sure. Cat is working with me on learning small-weapons forms, in close-quarters combat. Basic dueling knives and kunai to start, though we're beginning to lean toward the wakazashi, as that seems to fit my style, reach, and frame.

"Hawk and I are nearly tapped out on control work, so she's helping me to better understand poisons, medical theory, and taijutsu along with Cat. There are some interesting theories I have there," Naruto grinned at seeing the old man's eyes light up, "but I'll get to those later.

"On the topic of taijutsu and medicine, we made a little discovery," the blonde added with a slight frown. "You recall how I heal?"

"Quickly, with no scarring," the Hokage replied succinctly.

Naruto nodded. "Well, we've decided it's less rapid healing, as regeneration."

Blinking quickly, Sarutobi straightened, his brow furrowed. "That is... interesting."

"And limiting," Naruto added darkly. Seeing the old man's raised brow, he explained. "Muscle building, callouses, some forms of physical endurance... they all require lingering damage, and some form of healing. My regeneration won't allow them."

Seeing the boy's point, Hiruzen frowned. "That is troubling. However... your medical reports show you're at peak condition, as you are."

"Which is a god-send. If whatever part of my condition with the Kyūbi or its yōki or whatever didn't also accelerate my metabolism to that point, then I'd be locked into whatever situation I found myself in," Naruto mused with a slight shiver. "The only problem is, I can't seem to benefit from things like strength training or body conditioning at all. However..." here the blonde hesitated, nervously looking at the old man.

Seeing the youth's anxiety, Sarutobi softened his expression. "You can continue, Naruto."

Nodding, the blonde took a stilling breath. "Work with the Kage Bunshin in the degrees Wolf pushed me to, let me catch up, mentally, with my age group. Likely pass them, he says. However, the continued use has also... inured me to pain, to a large degree. Point – you can perform the skill, yes?"

To answer, Hiruzen created a sealless, wordless shadow clone. Naruto nodded and did the same, glancing about nervously. "Ah. Do you have a kunai?" Indulging the boy's anxiety, rather than be snide, Sarutobi rifled around on his desk, before calling one via chakra string to his hand from a hidden brace on his forearm. "Alright.

"I want you to take the kunai, and slash down the clone's back. Along the spinal column."

Sarutobi had not expected that, and nearly stopped to ask why Naruto would request such a thing, but decided to let the boy have his demonstration. Doing so, Sarutobi winced, sitting down as the phantom pain of his destroyed clone impacted his mind. "Rather unpleasant," the old man noted, with a nod.

In reply, Naruto repeated the process on his own clone, without flinch or response. The point he was trying to make was clear. "So..." the old man mused, "much of the training to build up your tolerance to pain and damage has no point, you mean?"

"Essentially. I have a static plateau, that is my body's natural limit," Naruto pointed out. "What precisely it is, or will be, I cannot say, and no one who is trusted has the medical know-how to predict it. Yōki does strange things to the human body." Sighing, Naruto looked at his hands. "I'll be at that plateau my entire life, it seems, but unable to pass it."

The blonde seemed surprised to hear the old Hokage laugh. "I wouldn't worry about it so much, Naruto-kun, unless you decided to become a disciple of Maito Gai."

Blanching, the blonde shook his head. Hard. "Ah, no... that's alright."

"I see this as a benefit, not a limit," Sarutobi decided. "In time, I trust you will too."

"Maybe," the blonde allowed. Somewhat soured to the topic of his own progress, he hurried through his other skills and advancements, touching on a few key points. "Chakra sensing is getting easier. I can differentiate between familiar people blinded, and can sense Jōnin-level ninja, if they're not suppressing themselves," Naruto listed in a clinical fashion. "Chakra control is about as good as it's going to get. My work on recomposition is progressing well." Seeing the unasked question, Naruto paused. "Primary affinity is wind, secondary fire. Nearly equal, though. I have no problems with other elements, but also can't use shortcuts."

Sarutobi nodded, secretly pleased that Kakashi was so close to the boy. He had a similar situation, and developed it nicely with his Sharingan. Naruto lacked that trump card, but his sheer chakra capacity would prove potentially more useful. It would be a comparison between a sniper's precision, in Kakashi's case, or a blanket bombing, in Naruto's.

Speaking of which... "Have you made any progress on your clone variants?"

Wincing, the blonde shook his head. "No. They're both too unstable to remain cohesive for any length of time. The closest I've come is some study on a clone Wolf taught me, from Kumo."

"Ah, yes. The Raiton Bunshin."

Nodding, Naruto sighed. "It's not going so well. But, I'll get it in time. I'm backwards engineering them slowly by using seals and Kage Bunshin for testing."

Sarutobi chuckled, not doubting the boy's ingenuity or skills. "This may be of some use, then," he offered, handing the blonde a scroll with a technique he had copied onto it earlier. "A word of warning, however," he paused, not yet releasing the scroll into Naruto's grip. "Do not practice it in the open, or indoors. Find a secluded location. Preferably distant, and with nothing that could be considered... valuable, nearby."

Blinking owlishly, Naruto nodded before gingerly putting the scroll into his pouch. "O...kay."

Satisfied with Naruto's report, Sarutobi settled back into his chair. "Now, lets move on to why I asked you here, today."

A bit more at ease after speaking with 'The Professor' about his projects, Naruto nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"There is some suspicion that there is a spy, working from within Konoha. We have a few hints on the location of their objectives, based on what evidence we've already collected.

"First, is the secure medical records storage," the old man noted grimly, as Naruto paled. "Yes, not good. That kind of intel can be deadly, crippling a Hidden Village.

"Second, personnel record storage." Again, the Hokage's face showed only his concern and displeasure at the situation. "And third, the reason you're here. Academy records and evaluation."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Ah, I don't understand."

"We have no ANBU Chūnin or Jōnin who's records aren't already held in the other locations. Because of this, our insert into the Academy cannot be a teacher. We have to use a student, and as the only ANBU of any stature of a similar age..."

Hanging his head, Naruto sighed. "I understand, Hokage-sama."

Displeased with his own request, the old man continued. "In addition, the delicacy of the project prohibits you from showing your true skill levels. Revealing them would compromise your position. Therefore, we have a profile script for you to study, before we begin insertion."

"How bad is it," Naruto asked, cutting to the chase.

"...I think you'll at least have some fun with it," the Hokage replied, albeit dryly.

– One and one half years later

"...are you sure this was a wise decision, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi looked to his subordinate, who having shed his Wolf mask, allowed a clear view of the worry he felt. "Honestly, Kakashi? No, I'm not sure. Naruto did need exposure to his peer group, but not in the form of a disguise. Though he's allowed a few to see through his act, even incompletely, I think this may in that way work for him.

"However," pausing, the old man loosed a sigh. "The profile we gave him to ward off any suspicion seems to have had negative repercussions with the civilian populace."

Kakashi couldn't help himself, and scoffed. "Negative connotations? Have you watched how they treat him? I had to nearly throw a rice merchant into the river for trying to overprice him _my_ month's wages, for a week's worth of rations!"

"Surely, Kakashi, you're exagg-"

"No, Hokage-sama, I'm not," the one-eyed Jōnin assured firmly, allowing no room for argument. That same single eye was now narrowed in anger. "And neither I nor 'fox-watch' can keep an entire city under control. That, on the other hand, is under your power. Much like the civilian council." Seeing the old man waffling, the Copycat sighed, playing his trump card. "I'd hate to see all the work that has gone into rebuilding Naruto's loyalty to Konoha undone that easily, but it will happen, if this continues to fester and compound on itself."

It was a low blow, and both knew it, but Sarutobi forgave the man. In all honesty, it was taking such things to keep his focus, nowadays. Proof, more than anything, that his views were becoming too calcified, and that he needed a replacement. Sooner, hopefully, rather than later. Quietly, the old man nodded, "I see. I will call a council meeting. That will not happen again."

Kakashi bowed to the old man. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I don't want to lose my little brother to the bias of a Village that can't see beyond their ignorance and hate."

"Nor do I," Sarutobi mused, "nor do I. I'll feel out the other guild leaders, and dispense some much-needed... pressure. In the mean time, tell your subordinate to conclude his investigation – we have enough leads."

Sparing the Hokage a hidden smile, Kakashi nodded. "I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that."

–

"Oh finally," Naruto groaned, shucking the orange jumpsuit for some more comfortable gray sweats. The Academy day – not that such a thing was really hard on its own – was over, and with it hopefully his assignment. The Genin exams were soon, and he could finally relax. It amazed him how hard it was to keep up a constant front, when it was nearly counter-intuitive to his normal nature. Sure, he'd been rather hyper and impulsive when he was younger, but seriously what little kid wasn't? Time around and training with serious ninja had mellowed and focused him, leaving Naruto serious when needed, but still bearing that spark of discovery that defined younger people his age.

Such was the reason for what he was planning, that afternoon. Having no calls on his time for three days, Naruto felt it was time to explore one of his projects. The reason he had waited till then to do so was simple – it was rather dangerous, and likely to blow up in his face.

His current location was a hide-away, connected to the old apartment building he was more of less squatting in as a cover for his Academy persona. Accessed by a sub-basement drainage system that was thankfully long-disused, the space was once one of the many ANBU caches that survived the Kyūbi attack, but were lost to infrastructure rebuilding after.

Naruto's knowledge of seals made the entrance and space itself secure, the walls and doors all reinforced with blood and life-force seals, tied to his own blood and yōki. As Kakashi once told him, paranoia wasn't a concept among ninja – there really was someone out there, waiting to get you. Best to be prepared for when they showed up.

Since his cover wouldn't let him actually have the resources or connections to have real mission gear, he'd been practicing creative on-site acquisition, raiding training grounds and garbage bins as both cover, necessity, and curiosity. Amusingly, he'd found quite a few scraps of information in the year and a half he'd spent scavenging, though whether he'd be able to put some of it to use was questionable.

His current project was too delicate for 'scrap' work, as he liked to call his ragamuffin persona's methods, hence his seclusion away from possible prying eyes. Most of his sealing experiments qualified as such, which explained the massive amount of waste paper and ink scattered about the room, waiting for safe disposal. Poised over a table, Naruto quickly and with some skill finished a complex array, spanning a length of scroll easily able to wrap around him a number of times.

"Elemental recomposition is easy," the youth muttered, voicing his somewhat wandering thoughts. "Our bodies do it naturally. The isolation of elements is natural, as it becomes harder by degrees to manage more than one nature, without losing control and damaging oneself. Control isn't difficult – it can be trained, but more, it can be regulated." With a flourish, Naruto's lips crept up into a fierce grin. "Sealed."

Rolling the massive array back up, he gathered his materials, consisting of numerous iron ingots and small containers of high-carbon ash. Moving to the wide and rather destroyed looking test area, Naruto redistributed his goods. Unrolling the massive seal, he placed the iron on one sub-array, the ash on another after emptying it from the container, and himself on a third, sitting in a meditative posture. Between him and the raw material, two other primary seals sat deactivated, with a strange, twisting, unusual connector between them.

Unseen while the blonde prepared, a recent visitor, keyed to his seals, stood nearby and watched with more than slight curiosity.

Naruto gathered and smoothed down the rough edges of his chakra, creating a smooth flow before shunting it into the first array. "Fūinjutsu: Tanenbaku no Tenkajiya."

(Sealing Art: Forge-binding of the Heavenly Smith.)

With a muted crack and rumble of released chakra, the two primary arrays filled, then activated. Working at an equal pace, they emptied, then combined their natures through the third binding pattern, changing the feel of the chakra completely. That flow met the dividing 'valve', before the final two sub-arrays, where the chakra would meet with the materials gathered as a raw base, before being contained in an isolated circuit. Swirling energies converged, while iron and ash dissolved into the flow, changing the dull white of the released chakra into a richer gray. Doing its work, the next set of arrays pumped the saturated field with more pre-sealed and recomposed elemental chakra, energizing the mix.

Pressing a bloody hand to the scrollwork, Naruto flinched, as the unfamiliar chakra surged into his coils, filling him with a sense of wrongness and invasive presence. Forming his focus in mind, he directed the chakra flow back to his hands, forming seals quickly with bleeding fingers. "Kōton! Sōkō no Kakushin!"

(Steel Release! Armored Core!)

Kakashi darted from cover at the massive crack of released power and the muffled scream of his blonde brother in all but blood. "Damn it, Naruto," he swore, catching the Jinchūriki as he was thrown clear of the scroll by a detonation that rocked the cavern they were in. Dust and small sprays of falling rock scattered about the reinforced area, proof of what Naruto had done, and its magnitude. As the dust and smoke cleared, Kakashi inspected the sometimes brilliant, often simply reckless blonde and saw that what burns and damage he'd taken from the blast were closing naturally – for him – and that he simply seemed knocked out.

Shaking his head, the ANBU captain took his ward up to the main-floor apartment, making sure to secure the room with some discreet seals as he did so. He could check on his experiment later, once he woke up. In a cipher Naruto would understand he left the blonde the message passed on to him by the Hokage, along with an addendum to meet him later at his ANBU division for a 'little chat about your lack of proper safety precautions'.

Partially waking a few hours later due to damn annoying bird calls, Naruto was conscious first of a searing pain in his chest, followed by a more familiar sound – apparently he was groaning quietly. Shaking off his disorientation, the youth pulled himself upright, blinking at the phantom angels that the light was painting across his eyes. "Huh. Well." Blinking away the faults in his vision with some difficulty, Naruto took stock, realizing he was currently in his own bed – the one in the apartment his persona used.

Paling, the totality of what must have happened hit him as his eyes fell on the innocuous note left on his bedside table. "Oh... crap. Kakashi must have been..." Wincing, he picked up the coded letter and sighed. "Yeah. Figures."

Weaker than he expected despite waking earlier than he'd planned, Naruto minced around his room, slow and more than a little disoriented still. Clothing himself in the muted colors that would break his silhouette as he made his way to the ANBU barracks that Naruto truly called home, the blonde gathered his few necessities, before bloodying the seal that opened the lower areas.

Taking stock of the hazard area, all he saw was his exhausted scroll, the few containers where his materials had been, and a lot of dust and debris. "Damn. All that work for nothing," Naruto muttered. Heaving a sigh, he gathered up his array, eyes sharp for any hint that his experiment had worked. When the last of his tools had been replaced, he gave up and took what was relevant with him topside. "Maybe once they're done yelling at me, they can help me figure out what went wrong." Once more sealing the array that would lock down the lower areas until he returned, Naruto took the Shinobi Road toward his real home, where he would meet up with Division Six.

–

Bear waited for the young man to verify his chakra against the roster seals, then motioned toward the barracks entrance. "Welcome back, recruit. Division Six is in the second mess."

"Thanks," Naruto waved back, in a hurry to smooth things over before Kakashi could make his life hell by blowing it all out of proportion. Judging by the looks he was getting from the unmasked ANBU he passed, it was likely already too late. This was confirmed when he got within a dozen feet of second mess.

"... and then he yelled out 'Kōton! Sōkō no Kakushin!' and blew himself up."

Palming his face, Naruto turned the corner. "I blew myself across the room, not up."

Kakashi offered him a jaunty wave, while the two females of Division Six glared death at the blonde. "Oh, well if it isn't the human explosive note now. Hi, Naruto!"

He was about to retort, when a cold chill went down his spine, and a sense of dread loomed from behind him. Eye twitching, he noted the sinister glee on the faces of Hitomi and Yūgao, and so resigned himself to being chewed out by-

"What have I told you about playing with advanced nature recomposition, U-zu-ma-ki...?" Tenzo was in full 'scary face' mode, complete with head-size altering Genjutsu and spooky lighting. Even knowing the man's tricks, it still gave Naruto the creeps.

"Yaaaaiiiieee... just... don't do that!"

"Exactly!" The demonic face boomed, before deflating back to normal. "Now, seeing as that's out of the way," the ANBU landed a side-kick into the blonde, sending him flying onto a couch. "What were you trying to do?"

Wincing at his tender ribs, the blonde shot a glare at the Mokuton user. "Damn it, Tenzo..." Sighing, something the blonde was getting tired of doing that day, Naruto pulled his scrolls out and spread them across the empty mess table. "As for what I was doing," he indicated the array scheme, easily covering the dining hall table. "This is it."

"What the..." Hitomi Hyūga put aside her Hawk mask, activating her Byakugan. "That's a three-part recomposition seal." Looking to Tenzo, she quirked a brow. "Is that possible?"

Snorting, Tenzo shrugged. "Hell, I don't know. I just know what I can do, and that's hard enough to explain."

Kakashi was tracing the lines of the array, before he came up to the 'third' elemental nature. "Wait. This isn't three. You built a two-part recomposition scheme, then while those were being combined by the seal's control set, purged the yang aspect?" Blinking up at the blonde, Kakashi chuckled uncomfortably. "What the hell?"

Yūgao blinked, somewhat lost. She wasn't a huge ninjutsu user on the best days, instead opting to poke Naruto repeatedly in the back with a fork as punishment for being stupid. While he was wincing from her ministrations – he wouldn't dodge, she'd just use something bigger and sharper – the blonde tried to explain. "Well, I've been studying seals since I was about six, due to that bet with the Hokage." Everyone nodded at this, as it wasn't a secret by any means. After all, it was a Raiton trap seal that got him put into ANBU, ultimately. "Anyway, I was thinking about Tenzo's Mokuton and how it makes no sense _at all_-"

"Trees are cool."

Naruto's mouth worked silently for a moment, before he grumbled about weird ANBU captains and mental disorders involving splinters. "Right. As I was saying... I picked up a theory book from a foreign merchant, before he hit the customs line."

"Wait a second," Hitomi ordered, raising a brow. "You managed to get outside, past the gates, long enough to visit a merchant cart... wait, how did you know he had this?"

"Er," scratching the back of his head, the blonde looked away for a moment. "That is... I asked for it?"

Halting in her poking for a moment, Yūgao peered over the blonde's shoulder. "Why could you not pick it up within the gates?"

"...it's contraband in Fire Country?"

Pumping her fist in the air, Yūgao held out her open hand to the others. "Yes! In the black market before he's thirteen. Pay up."

Tenzo grumbled. "Want to go double or nothing on whether he can get this Steel Release working?"

The purple-haired sword specialist hummed, then nodded, tapping her chin with a glint in her eye. "Sure, for or against?" Tenzo made a thumbs-down, causing the blonde to bristle angrily. "Anyone else for that one?"

"...you bet on me getting into the black market?" Naruto stared at his superiors with an air of betrayal. "What else are you betting on?"

"Part of the rules are we can't tell you," Kakashi informed him, as he and Hitomi paid up their share on the spot. "And no way on the double. I've seen this thing."

"Boy is a sealing prodigy," the Hyūga added, shivering unconsciously.

"Hey, I told you I'd look into the Caged Bird seal if you'd let me."

"And I told you, that if someone within the Main House heard you even mumble that while drunk and passed out in a gutter, you'd find yourself Jyūkened into next month." Hitomi patted the boy on the head. "You're sweet. Kind of a moron at times, but sweet."

"Hey!"

"Ok, so," Yūgao prompted, her monthly income nicely padded, "what's this thing supposed to do?"

Rolling his eyes, the aspiring seal specialist resumed his explanation, knowing that when profits were to be made, it was best to just go along with the kunoichi. "The book I got had some interesting ideas on why some recompositions have strange properties, and why some people can never get them to work." Grinning evilly at Tenzo, Naruto pulled out a seal tag, with a slightly familiar scribble on it. "Wanna help me with an experiment, Sempai?"

"Er-"

Moving with the speed only gifted to those who strain at the bonds of sanity for their work, Naruto smacked the seal on Tenzo's chest. "It's harmless. Really. Now, make with the trees."

Eye twitching, Tenzo formed a seal, and channeled his chakra. Naruto opened an umbrella.

...which was precisely why the table and everything behind the blonde was saved being drenched in mud. "...what the hell?"

Cackling madly, Naruto dashed forward to reclaim his now pitch-black tag, while Kakashi cleaned up the mess. "This," Naruto held the spent tag up, "is an aspect filter. I was working on the principal that while you get living wood instead of mud when you do your Earth-Water nature, is that you also cycle in Yang, but not Yin aspected chakra when you do it. This would make it so you can't do that at all."

Hitomi sat down hard. "That's... remarkably logical. Actually." Being the local expert on chakra and sensor, she continued. "Honestly, it really makes little sense that Earth-Water recomposition would equal Wood. After all, none of the other known dual natures makes _living things_. But, filtering out the Yin aspect only leaves the more volatile and energetic Yang, which could explain it."

"Most of it was theory, and none of it really had to do with Mokuton, actually," Naruto pointed out with a shrug. "The book was from a library in Suna, that apparently got sacked. Most of the details involve earth natures, which I'm terrible at, but the theory got me thinking.

"If Tenzo's chakra system automatically does the Yang filtering, then why couldn't I use an array to? We already store single elements into seals, like exploding notes, using Fūinjutsu to do the control and filtering is a lot easier than trying to internally. For an experiment, it's ideal."

"Until you blow yourself up," Kakashi added helpfully.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto refused to rise to his bait. "Anyway. The theory is that it's the altering or modulating of precise amounts of Yin and Yang that let the elements mix, or determine results. Since I haven't even mastered Wind yet, I didn't want to play with this myself, so I set up an array to do it."

The four adults warily eyed the young sealing prodigy before them. "Well, in theory it sounds nice... so what elements were you working with?" Kakashi hazarded.

Naruto pointed to the two main elemental seals, taking up enough space for him to sit and still not cover them. "Earth and Fire. To keep things from getting too energetic, I also had those dump through the Yin filter first, purging their Yang aspect.

"Here, the recomposed chakra was used to actually saturate and dissolve a mass of iron and ash, my test to see if the if the chakra was of the proper nature."

Hitomi peered at the scroll, whistling lowly. "It looks... different. I still see traces of it."

Sighing, Naruto nodded, his face set in an unhappy cast. "Yeah, it seemed to be going well. Using the book I devised a way to test it. I was trying to form a seal-bed of reactive steel. Basically, seal-ready chakra metal, from the result. It should have been easy – the steel would have been literally formed inside the chakra, so already receptive. All I tried to do was dump the chakra into a single form, leaving the combined metal. Apparently, I messed up somehow. I didn't even get any slag."

At this point, Kakashi's head whipped around and he stared at the boy wide-eyed. "You said you dumped raw material into the chakra?"

"Mhm."

"But that you never got it back out?"

"Steel Release, I didn't really expect to. I thought of it like fuel – kind of like how Tenzo can use existing wood easier with Mokuton than just having to grow more."

Wincing, Kakashi nodded to Hitomi, who turned her Byakugan on Naruto this time. Almost immediately the woman paled. "Uh. This is bad."

Immediately wary, Naruto backed away a step. "Ok. I hate it when you don't do details, 'Tomi. Because you only do that when something is really, really bad."

"This is really, really bad."

Kakashi shook his head once. "Hitomi, details."

The Hyūga woman nodded. "Right. Outer coil system is fine. Inner coil system looks disrupted. There's..." squinting as a reflex, the woman narrowed her vision to a sharper focus. "It looks like tattooing on his inner coils."

Naruto immediately swore. "Shit! The array must have been volatile." Snapping through a set of seals before anyone could stop him, Naruto clapped a hand to the ground, "Doton: Butō no Jimushi."

(Earth Release: Dancing Scarabs.)

Where he had expected the D-rank jutsu to produce the two or so dozen bug-shaped marbles that would trip up an opponent that was unwary, what the Jinchūriki got was a much smaller number of sharp-legged beetles that resembled caltops. All sharp points and angles, each was a uniform, steel gray. Slumping to the ground, Naruto palmed his face. "...great."

Yūgao peered over the table she had knocked over and hidden behind. "Um. Aren't those supposed to be round? And made of rock?"

Picking up one of the supposed Scarabs, Kakashi whistled. "These look useful. Not quite for the tripping potential of the original 'dancing' variety, but free caltrops are free."

"They weren't supposed to be caltrops!" Naruto growled. "Didn't you hear? I tried to do an Earth Release! I got Steel!" Blanching, the blonde's hands twitched. "...I don't know a Fire Release that I can do that wouldn't involve me potentially having metal in my lungs."

Kneeling down beside the distraught youth, Kakashi considered the issue, for a moment. "I know one, it's mostly a camp jutsu. D or sub-D rank. Doesn't involve the mouth or lungs."

After a few moments of explanation, Naruto nodded, feeling as ready as he expected to be. Yūgao's table had been righted, so that she, Tenzo, and Hitomi could sit and spectate. Each had a 'beetle', examining it, as well.

After a few handsigns ending in 'Tora', Naruto made a cage with his fingers, "Katon: Obake Kentō."

(Fire Release: Ghost Lantern.)

Kakashi had his Sharingan ready this time, much like Hitomi and her Byakugan. What he saw made no sense, however. Instead of the soft and harmless glow of a firefly-strength light between Naruto's fingers, a hollow web-work gray ball manifested, pulsing a soft blue from some inner source, though its luminescence was much less than he'd expected. "...what the hell is this," the blonde asked, peering at the odd construct.

Taking the ball from Naruto, Kakashi inspected it briefly. "The Obake Kentō is supposed to make a kind of will-o-wisp in your hands..." demonstrating the skill, he held the finished jutsu up, resembling nothing so much as a large ball of glowing cotton. "...so you can find things easy, without needing a harsh light. It's weak enough not to go through most tent fabric," he muttered, shaking the obviously metal ball after dismissing his own. "This thing? I have no idea. The light is there, but it's trapped inside somewhere. Hitomi?"

Shaking her head slightly, the woman deactivated her Byakugan. "When he tried to use Fire chakra, the tattoos flared, and his inner coils spat out something else. As for the 'Lantern', it appears to have a Fire-fueled core, surrounded by that steel webbing, which was likely supposed to be the actual dimensions of the jutsu?" Seeing the Cyclops nod, the Hyūga's lips pursed. "Alright. So... my guess then.

"Anytime you use Fire or Earth, you're going to get Steel till those seals expire or get erased. Because your coils are doing a forced recomposition, you're actually burning the proper amount of chakra for the original, however due to the mix, you're performing at half-strength. Hence the weird ball and fewer... beetles."

Over the next hour, Division Six experimented with Naruto's new handicap. As Hitomi predicted, any Earth or Fire jutsu he tried to use would trigger the seal 'tattoos' that were branded onto his inner coils, causing automatic recomposition into Steel. Naruto was glad that at least neither were his primary affinity, though he was sorely irritated with losing his Fire skills. Those were, after all, his secondary affinity, and he'd planned some truly interesting things mixing them with Wind.

"If you could separate your chakra pool, so you only draw off your outer coils, you should be able to do normal elemental compositions," Hitomi theorized, sipping some tea. "I'd also get those coils examined. The damage may be something beyond my observation."

Naruto scoffed at that. "Anyone outside of ANBU I can't trust. Can you imagine if Danzo got wind of this?" A collective shudder ran through the assembled. "And it'll be years before I'm advanced enough even with your help to separate my own chakra flow that way, with my reserves." Mumbling to himself, Naruto rubbed a temple, easing his headache. "...maybe less if I work on that thing we came up with together. Yeah. So, I tell the Old Man as soon as I calm down and stop expecting myself to turn into a lawn ornament, and see if he can suggest someone. Though, I'm pretty content with your diagnosis, 'Tomi-chan," the Jinchūriki pointed out, earning him a grin. "After that I guess it's time to get ready for Monday's show." Laughing quietly, the blonde sagged in his chair. "At least I won't need those natures for the assignment. Not like I should need any of my elemental techniques at that level anyway, so it'll be easy enough to hide at the Academy."

"One problem," Hitomi pointed out, while Tenzo perused Naruto's book with an thoughtful look. "Hinata."

The blonde's head hit the table with a loud thump. "Right. Couldn't I get the fangirl who didn't have stalker-vision?" Hitomi's response to that involved Naruto suddenly developing a pair of sore shins and a new bump on the back of his head to match the one on the front. "...ok, I deserved that."

"Hinata is a very nice girl," the Branch Hyūga defended, rather heatedly. "Nicer than most of that side of the family, by a few magnitudes, in fact."

For the next few minutes, Naruto knew that Hitomi would be mumbling and growling about the House division among the Hyūga, so he turned his attention to Kakashi. "How about the Sharingan? Could it copy anything?"

The Copycat shook his head. "I see you doing Earth and Fire Releases. So, not really. However... It may be useful to practice this with existing techniques. I'm tempted to teach you a Dragon Missile just to see massive steel monster start rampaging though some trees."

Naruto's eyes grew huge at that, and he came dangerously close to an effect most women would find irresistible on the young blonde. "...Kakashi-sempai. Sensei. Onii-sama. You know you're my favorite, right?"

The other three ANBU watched in horrified stupefaction as the two giggled at the potential destruction that could result in such a thing, before tackling them to forcibly separate the two. "No way. No steel dragons."

"Ten-zooooo..." the blonde whined in response.

"I can't believe you..."

"Teach him a Dragon Missile...?"

"Are you insane?"

"You know he's just going to do it himself now."

"Great. Just what we need, a Jinchūriki with his own armored division."

Kakashi nodded as the two kunoichi went back and forth, taking turns berating his irresponsible actions, until that last comment piqued his interest. Seeing the man's reaction, Yūgao immediately slapped a hand over her mouth, shooting Hitomi an apologetic look. "Um. Oh. Right, Tenzo! You owe me more money."

"Damn it woman, I'm a ninja, not a banker!"

"...whatever. Fork it over, tree-hugger."

The Branch Hyūga cursed, shaking her head slowly. "Sometimes I wonder which is worse. Naruto or Yūgao." She was pulled from her contemplation as Kakashi tried to sneak a scrap of scroll paper from Naruto's spool, already scratching a quick note at the top, reading, 'Earth Dragon Missile', giggling all the while.

"Oh no you don't, cyclops!"

–

Nearly an hour passed as Division Six settled down, finally eating a lukewarm meal together. The initial madness that infected all shinobi seemed to have passed, and in its wake left the five individuals calm and relatively serious. "So, Naruto," Kakashi began, taking up his role as leader of the Division... likely for the last time, though he didn't advertise that fact. "This is your show. What is the situation?"

Placing his chopsticks on the table, the blonde took a breath. "I've isolated two targets, one with certainty, the other... mostly so. We'll know after Monday night.

"Target one is Mizuki, no known last name." The blonde began, unsealing a set of folders, as his voice took on an instructional cadence. "Academy instructor, long-time Chūnin. Jōnin level skills in a number of areas, but background checks and evaluations showed some things to be desired. Also, he declined three offers to advance, which was found suspicious." Pointing out a few specific items, the team followed suit. "He maintains a low-level cosmetic Genjutsu on his arm, supposedly to hide a scar. What he has, is a sealed map and directions, plus an unknown vial there."

Tenzo nodded, impressed. "How'd you figure that one out?"

"Hensō and sake, then a knockout poison and mild short-term Genjutsu," Naruto replied, wrinkling his nose. "And for the record, I hate being the dumb blonde in a bar." Noise at the table came to an abrupt halt, as those nearby shot the blonde worried or angry glances. With a sigh, Naruto scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Look, my life wasn't the best before I came here. I made a few friends where my apartment used to be. Once I learned Kage Bunshin, I started splitting time there, just to hang around them some. They were kind to me, and I didn't want to simply disappear."

Knowing fully well where Naruto had once lived and how close it was to the red-light district, the implications were clear, and it wasn't such an odd thing for the local whores and prostitutes to take up with an orphan, as they likely couldn't have children of their own for various reasons. Yūgao turned the youth's chin her way. "How far?" She asked quietly.

"He was out long before I needed the second or third contingency," Naruto replied seriously. "No more than what you're doing now."

Nodding, the kunoichi dropped her hand. Tenzo was the next to speak, "You really don't let anyone in, do you?"

"My life was hard," Naruto replied without answering directly. "But I'm better for it. I have more skills thanks to surviving than most twice my age. If I can use them to help others, then maybe it lessens my pain a little."

"It's a good view," Kakashi pointed out, steering the discussion back to track. "Continue your report."

Nodding, Naruto did so, glad he didn't have to defend his methods or views. "I replaced all items and sent them to R&D for analysis. Results pending. What I could dig up was that he's been dropping data for a second target for years. Growth potential, numbers, profiles, teams... everything."

"What of the second target," Kakashi asked tersely. This was turning into a logistics nightmare, and showed little hope of resolving itself in the short-term. Hopefully they could at least neutralize the current threat, before working to see what damage had been done.

"Of that, I'm only partially sure, and there are holes," the blonde relayed, his earlier confidence flagging. "Kabuto Yakushi. Medic prodigy, adopted son of Yoshimaru Yakushi, director of Konoha Medical."

"Oh this gets better and better," Hitomi snarled, rubbing at her temple idly.

Naruto could only agree with her sentiment. "If he's the one, then I agree. Problems arise with his profile. Currently, he's a Genin, though his team has been to the Chūnin exams twice. All failed, both times. Interestingly, Kabuto hasn't lost, so much as withdrawn both times, seemingly for no reason.

"That made me wary, so I probed further," Naruto continued. "Otherwise, I would have believed I was simply wrong. The guy is a saint. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. In fact, his profile is utterly spotless. Perfect student. Perfect record. Perfect chakra skill. Excellent mission record." Leaning back, Naruto met his Division's eyes. "He's a statistical anomaly. Someone should have picked him up for specialized training by now. How he's stayed under notice is a mystery."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "A mole. If he's the drop-off, then it all makes sense. Promotion would take him out of the Hospital, and open up more surveillance on him. Neither of which he needs."

"Those were my thoughts," Naruto added, holding up his hands after. "But I'm not judge of people. You guys call me a prodigy, but everyone else says I'm trash, so I didn't want to make a snap decision."

Hitomi patted the blonde's hand at that. "You're intelligent and a hard worker. You also got a lot of unusual benefits, thanks to situations. We may call you a prodigy, but that's because we're proud and want to brag and boast about you. You're the one doing the work – not genes or a bloodline."

Grinning, Naruto relaxed slightly. "Thanks. I know a little of what I can do is thanks to the fox, but it's nice to hear that I'm not... well. Another Itachi in training."

There was a half-barked laugh at that from Kakashi. "You didn't have the Uchiha trying to ruin your mind from the time you could walk. Don't worry – the similarities are far outstripped by the differences.

"All that aside, we now have two targets. One definite, one that needs verification."

"I can get verification, I think. Under my cover persona, I've been noticing a distinct interest from Mizuki toward me, and it's been negative." Holding up a hand, he stalled Kakashi's worry. "My cover is intact. He's been undermining my taijutsu and ninjutsu however, during instruction. This is new. I think he's trying to set me up, considering my status."

Yūgao nodded, used to using such tactics herself during infiltration missions. "To what end?"

Naruto considered a moment, before continuing. "I'm going to assume there's something he can't get, either because of security or visibility, that I have access to. Or, it's me. I'm not sure. What he'd doing is setting up my persona to fail the Genin exam. Likely, he'll offer me some kind of out, or a pass, if I can achieve his task. Maybe try to recruit me out of Konoha.

"Once he's secured an objective, likely he'll then drop it immediately to his second. That will get us Kabuto or his current second, or at least concrete proof and a trace to track by."

Kakashi nodded. "It's a start. However, we're going to change some things..."

–

Naruto bounded into the clearing, scanning the underbrush and treetops inexpertly, giggling in a childish way. The massive scroll he carried was shortly unrolled, as he appeared to be studying it intently.

A few minutes later, a number of Kage Bunshin filled the area, and the blonde let out a pleased whoop at his apparent success. A bird, startled by the noise took flight, but never made an appearance. Dismissing his clones, Naruto rebound the scroll, and apparently napped, as he waited for his instructor.

This was how Iruka, then Mizuki shortly thereafter found him, the former being surprised by the vicious attack of the latter. After a rather stirring and emotional scene played out, where the double agent blatantly broke the Third's law, blathering on and on about how he was going to kill the demon and be a hero.

Naruto was secretly wondering what kind of idiot Mizuki was. If he was the demon and always had been... then why hadn't he been killing people since he was bound with the seal? What reason would the Kyūbi need to bide his time, that long? Hell, he already had access to the Hokage, and had since he was five. What more could he do, to damage Konoha? Again, he was stunned by the lack of anything resembling actual thought, from a supposedly trained shinobi. Outwardly he played his part, affecting some tears and real shock as Iruka took a hit for him he'd been more than capable of dodging.

To Iruka's horror, Naruto threw the scroll to the traitor and fled the clearing, apparently moving deeper into the forest under the distraction. It was then that he noted the small itching wound on his hand, and the sudden inability to move, along with his drooping eyes. Shortly, sleep claimed the concerned Chūnin, as he railed against circumstance, fearing for Naruto's safety.

Oddly, the blonde was thinking the same thing about his surprising Academy instructor. He hoped the man didn't take his paralytic-sleep poison badly, but there was no way he could deal with Iruka during the operation as well, and maintain his persona. Once under the cover of the forest, Naruto clamped down on his chakra, suppressing his signature heavily. He didn't think Mizuki could pull him out of hiding, but Kabuto... of him he had no idea.

Mizuki spent a short few minutes trying to find and kill his chosen scapegoat, before abandoning the hunt. They were far enough out that he had ample time to double back and track him down once he could focus, before the demon brat could escape. He could track the brat down and set him up later. For now, he had to dispose of the evidence, so that the theft was never linked to him. Behind him, a stealthy figure flitted from tree to tree, eyes never leaving the white-haired man.

Nearly by the Konoha wall, Mizuki finally came to a stop, scanning around him before activating a seal, exposed on a small metal plate under a patch of false grass. Immediately a door opened in the turf, as another figure came into the slight moonlight, scanning the area warily. "You have the scroll? What about the boy? One is useless without the other."

Not one to take orders from someone younger than him well, Mizuki sneered. "What? That brat? I'll kill him before the night's over."

"No," Kabuto insisted, eyes narrowing. "Orochimaru has plans for him. He is not expendable."

"My plan needs him to die," Mizuki insisted, his plot to take credit for killing the demon and reaping the rewards firmly in mind. "I set him up for it. Without him dying, I'll be exposed."

Kabuto's slight smile was mocking. "Bring him to me. I can make it look like he died with a body-double. You get your oh-so desired fame, and our lord gets his test subject." Expression hardening, the youth tilted his head so that his glasses glinted. "That is your job. Do not fail."

"Whatever," the Chūnin replied, clearly displeased. As he turned to leave, three things happened at once.

The first was a massive explosion of smoke that utterly blinded them both, sending the immediate area into total darkness. As Mizuki tried to ready his weapon, falling back on the Fūma shuriken on his back, a gentle touch landed on his temple. There was a sense of vast disorientation, before his other senses joined his vision in darkness.

Second, a massive release of Earth chakra disrupted the ground, making any kind of escape via it impossible, cutting off Kabuto's planned escape before he'd finished a handseal. Narrowing his eyes, the false Genin made to simply Shunshin away and get clear to mount a defense or flee, when there was a shift in the weight at his side, and a sharp pain, just under his ribs.

The third event went nearly unnoticed. Naruto, the real one, had used his Hensō to take the form of the Forbidden Scroll before he'd thrown it, biding his time till he was sure it was his opportunity to strike. That chance was when Division Six sprang its ambush. Shifting out of his transformation, Naruto used the same combination of paralytic-sleep poison he'd used on Iruka, only this time he used a hollowed senbon to deliver a massive dose, directly to the target's blood stream. Warnings from Hitomi on trying to use such tactics against medics were well-advised, as the heavy poisons apparently had little immediate effect on the man.

Naruto used his Kage Kawarimi to escape the traitor, as he aimed a chakra scalpel for his neck. Slowed but not stopped, Kabuto made to finalize his escape, when a sword took out his Achilles's tendons, and a burst of woody growth rose up to restrain his arms, preventing him from using seals.

Immobilized, poisoned, and with his escapes neutralized, the medic made to bite down on a poison tooth, one potent enough to kill even him, when a gentle hand severed his mind from all conscious thought with a touch.

A beat of three seconds passed as a stiff wind rose up, dispelling the smoke that had obscured the operation area. The two traitors lay or stood immobilized, ready for securing and transport. Kakashi replaced his headband, nodding in satisfaction. "Good job, team," he congratulated, aiming a rather malicious smile toward his adopted brother. "And, congratulations on your promotion, Naruto."

Stalling so hard he tripped and fell, the blonde stared up at his superior. "What?"

"I was advised by Hokage-sama, that if your performance during this final leg of the year and a half infiltration went as well as expected, to give you this." So saying, the cyclopean Jōnin handed Naruto a small bundle, tied with a black ribbon and bearing the seal of ANBU. "Organization, tactical thinking, and leadership. All the qualities needed for a Chūnin, and today was your final exam. That," the Jōnin indicated the package, "is your official uniform, and Chūnin vest. You can pick up a mask from the Hokage, tomorrow morning for official ANBU duty."

Overloaded on the mission, adrenaline, combat high, then the shock of Kakashi's announcement, the blonde's eyes rolled up in his head. In response, the Wolf-masked shinobi held out a hand to his Division. "Fainted on promotion. Pay up."

Tenzo grumbled, mourning his anemic wallet. "That was so unfair it's not even funny."

"I'm a ninja," Kakashi replied dryly, eye bent into a smile. "Fair isn't in my vocabulary."

–

Morning came, and with it the rather complex fallout from the night's actions. Two attempts against Kabuto were made internally, both neutralized, both yielding different results. Adding fuel to an already smoldering fire, one was identified as a ROOT agent under Danzo's control, while another was a sleeper agent, of unknown origin. Mizuki was handed to ANBU T&I for data mining, and with him the traitor Kabuto. Results from both were expected to shed some light on what Orochimaru's movements and goals were.

Kabuto's safehouse was raided with impunity, once ANBU got the help of the only known seal-specialist available for field duty. Naruto was surprised to be called on for such a thing, but quickly and efficiently tore the false Genin's defenses apart, resembling nothing so much as a kid with a wrapped present. The field commander was ordered to assist in any way possible, however his help was only requested once... to help hold sealing scrolls, as the rather giddy blonde transferred all the medic's defenses to his own collection for later study. When Naruto had asked Kakashi why he was being tapped for that duty, he only got a cryptic, "Everyone else is busy with a priority case," in reply. After that, he simply thanked his good luck.

There were a few more interesting incidents, that Naruto would look back on with no end of amusement for some years that day as well.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun."

Yawning as he peered out the still-dark window, the blonde offered the Hokage a tired wave. He was in the standard ANBU gear, black clothing under a gray fitted armor vest with shin and forearm braces, and a wakazashi at his back. His Chūnin rank clip was pinned to the shoulder armor, and the blonde's forehead protector was in place, though his bangs had grown in, making him resemble his father quite sharply. Rounding off the look, he had the ANBU tattoo already, likely applied last night by Kakashi himself. Smiling, if tiredly, the Jinchūriki offered a sleepy, "Yep. Eventually," in reply.

Chuckling, Sarutobi sat behind his desk with a content smile on his face. A mission report, filled out by Kakashi, had been absolutely glowing in regard to the newly minted Chūnin's performance. He felt some well-deserved compensation was in order. "Now, I understand that you're here to get your mask?"

Nodding, the Jinchūriki stood a little straighter. "Yes, Hokage-sama," the blonde managed, before yawning again. He couldn't help it – it was still not even daylight, as he was running on two days without sleep already.

Amused, the older shinobi waved the boy forward. "These are the masks we have that aren't in use."

Naruto inspected the list, noting it was actually a sealing array with some interest. Simple, but efficient. Shaking off his inattention to the purpose for looking at the long scroll, he paused over a certain entry. For understandable reasons, that particular mask had been retired for twelve years, the entry indicated. "That one," the blonde pointed, with a slight smirk.

Hiruzen heaved a slight sigh, regarding the blonde with a wry smile. "You're not going to make it easy on them, are you?"

"Oh hell no," Naruto chirped.

"Are you sure, though? That's not going to be a good mask, considering. People won't have much effort figuring out who you are."

Tired, older eyes met vivid blue. "I'm not going to hide who and what I am. Despite the fox, I am who I am. Despite the Village, I am loyal. Despite my lack of family, I know what having those bonds is like." Grinning, he stood back up straight, and Sarutobi noted it was a real smile, and that it held no maliciousness. "I'm proud of who I turned out to be. Mask or not, I don't want to hide it."

Nodding, the Hokage activated the seal, taking up the long-disused fox mask from its place. "Wear it well, then, Kitsune."

"With honor, Hokage-sama."

"On to the next order of business," the old man noted, respooling the ANBU mask scroll. "Congratulations on your first mission. It was a resounding success. The files you saved we believe were never allowed out of the Village, at least this batch, so there's more than a little thanks due your way for helping keep Konoha secure." Handing over a mission slip and payment stub, the Hokage grinned. "That's the first part. Your first official ANBU mission, C-to-B-rank, ongoing, so the pay reflects such. Quite the accomplishment, for a Genin trainee."

Smiling proudly, Naruto pocketed the small document, and payment order. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Nodding, Sarutobi pulled out another scroll. "This is a residence voucher. I would offer you the Namikaze property, but in truth, it was destroyed during the Kyūbi attack, and never rebuilt, and the land reclaimed for farms and forest. However," with a tap against the desk, he summoned another scroll, this one from his own vault, Naruto recognized. "Now that you are a Chūnin, your father's requirements for the release of his intellectual property have been met. You can claim his name openly, on your whim now. This scroll contains his notes, as well as any personal effects we could find for you, as well as those of your mother."

Taking the scroll reverently, Naruto bowed low. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Hokage-sama."

"I'm sure I do, actually," the old man noted, laying a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You've made me proud, Naruto-kun. I know your father would be as well. On that note... I would like to apologize, if you would allow it."

Shaking his head, Naruto halted the Hokage. "No, it's not needed. I understand, now. It took a while, for me to do so, but I do. And honestly," cracking a smile, the blonde chuckled, hiding his misty eyes. "If all that hadn't happened, I'd probably not be nearly as happy, today."

Bowing his head, Sarutobi masked his own prickling eyes. "Very well then. I will simply say that the young man you're growing into makes us all very proud."

The emotional scene was disrupted, as the Hokage cleared his throat. "It's been and continues to be an eventful day. I have a few more things to tell you, so if you would have a seat...?" Suddenly a little nervous, Naruto did so. "Now, for a little bad news," Sarutobi murmured, frowning. "Due to security concerns with the recent breaches, a training situation, and to help keep up appearances... " the old man wrinkled his nose at that, but went on, "I am going to dissolve Division Six."

Suddenly back on his feet, Naruto stared wide-eyed at the man. "What? No!"

"Let me explain, Naruto-kun." Hesitantly, the blonde took his seat again, fear that his family was crumbling around him high in his mind. "First off, there is nothing that keeps you from being in contact with your former Division. You will all, for the time being and near future, be stationed within Konoha, barring missions."

Naruto relaxed somewhat at that, but still felt a pang of loss. D-6 was his home. His family. Just having that title lost to him felt... hollowing. "I... understand."

"I'll help, as I can, to make it easier," Sarutobi pointed out. "But, please understand as well that I gave as much allowance as I could to letting Division Six have as much time as they could to help you. Eventually, Konoha needs its strongest back. There are others they can help, as well."

Feeling suddenly very selfish, Naruto nodded, humbled. "I see. Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi waved the sentiment off. "Think of this more as finding your own feet, not losing your support. Now, as for why...

"Kakashi will be placed in command of a Genin cell, this time as more than a ploy. His previous teams were earmarked failures, so there was no loss with his denying them. This was done to appease certain elements, no longer present." Smiling slightly, the Hokage peaked his fingers.

"Tenzo will take his place, leading another Division. He's been wanting to try his hand at command for some time now. Likely, you will work with him occasionally, as you are one of the five most accomplished sealing specialists present in Konoha. Perhaps the single most inventive as well," the Hokage noted idly, shooting the blonde a knowing look. Naruto swallowed nervously. He had let the Steel Release incident slip his mind...

"Yūgao," the Hokage continued, "will continue her duties, but be placed in rotation and on lighter duty. She has personal reasons, which I believe revolve around a certain Jōnin swordsman."

Naruto's brow was suddenly stormy. "I'll speak with Hayate. He'll treat her well."

Somewhat taken aback by Naruto's sudden 'big brother' side, Sarutobi couldn't help but laugh quietly. It was just odd to think of the young blonde that way, but also very appropriate. The old man could see Minato doing much the same. "Finally, Hitomi Hyūga has been recalled to the Branch House, and accepted the break in her commission. I believe she will be working to tutor Hinata Hyūga, now that she has graduated the Academy."

Initially very happy, something clicked in Naruto's mind, causing his smile to falter and dim. "Wait. Hitomi is a Branch Hyūga. Why will she be teaching the heiress?"

"Why indeed," Sarutobi replied with a raised brow. "Perhaps you will look in on them from time to time...?"

The implicit but unstated request did not pass over the new Chūnin's head. "I think I can make time, Hokage-sama."

"I'm sure Hitomi would be happy to know that," Sarutobi noted with a dismissive air. Naruto just managed not to smirk. "Now. On to today's duties. I have... a few requests from one Iruka Umino on your status." Peaking his hands again, the old man raised a brow. "He's raided the hospital, been turned away from your apartment staging area as it's being reclaimed, and has been pacing outside the door for the last thirty minutes. Do something about him," the old man asked, with a rare tinge of desperation in his voice, "before he does something drastic."

Confused and a little put-off, Naruto nodded. "Just... tell him I'll come by the Academy before team assignments today."

The Hokage quirked a brow, before chuckling slightly. "No, you're not going to go easy on them, are you?"

"Oh hell no," the blonde repeated, with the same jovial tone, pulling his kitsune mask into place. "I'll drop by there in an hour. I need to get my barracks in order and drop some things off."

Before the blonde could escape out the window, the Hokage's voice reached him. "And come by tonight, I want to talk about your... sealing incident, and show you a skills assessment."

"Damn," the Jinchūriki mused as he sprinted down the tower wall. "And here I'd hoped he'd have forgotten."

–

Naruto arrived to a busy barracks, confusing him slightly. "Where's Wolf? I need to bother him," he asked a passing ANBU.

The masked figure took in his choice of mask with a slight smirk. "Hell of a statement, kid. Scarecrow's down the hall, dodging Anko. Keep your guard up."

Paling at the thought of dealing with the crazy kunoichi, Naruto decided to get the dangerous parts of his day out of the way first. Luckily, it seemed he'd just missed the snake-charmer, though Kakashi looked a little dazed. "You alright there, Sempai?"

"Huh?" Uncharacteristically distracted – for him – the cyclopean Jōnin gathered himself quickly. "Oh. Yeah. Just... thinking about something someone said. So, I take it you heard the news?"

Wincing, Naruto threw himself onto a nearby couch with a dramatic sigh, earning a chuckle from his adopted brother. "Yeah. I'm going to miss Six."

"You always miss your firsts," the masked Jōnin pointed out sagely, earning a pillow thrown his way. "Now, I take it you have something you want?"

Nodding, the blonde scanned the room, warily. "Actually, yes. You see, I've been thinking-"

"Oh god."

"Quiet, you," Naruto growled, well aware of what his family thought about his inventive nature. "But see... I was considering it, and for a Chūnin, I have very few actual heavy techniques. My offense is a bit lacking. And, well, you're the best person to go to, Oniisan. Now, I had an idea on what you could, being the bestest big brother ever, teach me..."

Kakashi's eye perked up. "Oh?"

"Something... big."

"Hmm!"

"Something... impressive."

"I see."

"Something... like a dragon."

Sniffling in pride, Kakashi produced a napkin from somewhere, wiping away imaginary tears. "I'm so proud. But sadly, I've been forbidden from giving you any jutsu scrolls like that, on pain of having my scrotum used as Jyūken target for ambush training by Hitomi for a month." That said, the odd Jōnin handed him the napkin. "In case you need to cry some manly tears of loss."

Blinking, Naruto only nodded briefly. Just when he thought he had Kakashi figured out... "Well, how about telling me about your team?"

Whatever mirth his brother had held, died at that. "Hmm. Well, there's the high-profile one, Sasuke Uchiha-"

"You have my condolences."

"Har har," Kakashi replied, heaving a sigh. "I'm not thrilled that I was tapped to work with him, but understand it. Hopefully I can get him off his vengeance kick before it ruins him as a ninja, and gets him landed in Detainment permanently."

Wincing at that, Naruto moved on, "Who else?"

"Sakura Haruno." Kakashi nodded sadly at the blonde's whistle. "Pretty much. I can't understand what the Hokage was thinking. Putting a fangirl on that boy's team is asking for a fatality. I need my soldiers focused on the mission, not their teammate's ass."

Blanching, Naruto made the Jōnin promise never to bring up Sasuke's ass again, in conversation. "Ok, the last one?"

Taking on a thinking posture, Kakashi hummed in thought. "Akagai Kin. Pretty unknown, kind of like the Haruno girl. First generation shinobi, no real specialization. Pretty solid all around, if his taste in clothes is a little lacking."

Laughing, Naruto smirked. "Hey, at least you don't have my persona on your team. Orange... gah."

Shrugging, Kakashi chuckled, "I think I could deal with that more than that kid's red shirt."

–

It wasn't until halfway to the Academy that Naruto noticed that his napkin actually had the instructions for the Earth Dragon Missile technique. Blinking owlishly before his grin took over Naruto face, he recalled the Jōnin's exact words. "Ah, no _scrolls_. Clever, Oniisan, very clever. I must find something to repay you with."

Tucking the slip of paper into an inner pocket, the newly minted Chūnin made his way through the corridors, passing instructors who wisely kept their opinions to themselves, knowing well that there had been some kind of ANBU plant in place with the morning's news and debriefing, just having never expected it to be _him_ of all people.

Reaching Iruka's – and formerly his – classroom, the Chūnin knocked, opening the door slightly to peer inside. Iruka, seeing him, broke into a relieved smile. Naruto felt a little cruel by shielding himself with the doors till he stepped inside, but enjoyed the look on the man's face once realization fully hit. "N-Naruto?"

"Umino-san," the blonde greeted amicably, refusing to acknowledge the room at large and the sudden silence that greeted his appearance. "I take it you're recovering well from the injuries yesterday and my poison?"

"Poison...? Oh. Oh! Wait... that..." the man's face paled, then flushed slightly when he connected the dots.

Naruto smiled slightly, "Sorry, but I had orders. Couldn't jeopardize the operation. I left an antidote with the medic on duty for mission recovery. If you're feeling a little off still, I have another vial-"

"What the hell!" Both Chūnin turned at that, seeing an incredulous Kiba standing and pointing, his face twisted up in a combination of disbelief and refusal. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Turning away from the Academy graduate – he had to remind himself that those present weren't Genin yet – Naruto pinned the kind instructor with a glance. "You haven't briefed them?"

"I was told an ANBU would be by..."

Rolling his eyes and quietly cursing manipulative old men, Naruto nodded. "Right, I see." Without waiting for an answer to his previous question, the blonde handed Iruka a small blue vial. "Take that with lunch." Returning his attention to the class, who were chattering like... well children... Naruto waited for a moment, to see if they would come to order.

Seeing that was unlikely, he channeled a slight bit of Wind chakra, before clapping his hands. This was timed to a burst of focused will, blanketing the auditorium with a nova of killing intent. "Quiet!" The combination of spiritual pressure, the nearly-deafening boom from his assisted clap, and the order immediately cowed any chatter. "That's better. I hope you all display better decorum while in the mission office, and while dealing with clients, considering you represent Konoha and Fire Country now. But that's not a lecture I'm here to make."

"Uzumaki-baka, what the hell? Is this a prank? If so, it's not funny."

Naruto pinned the mouthy Inuzuka with a focused glare, sending the boy backwards onto his ass with a clatter of scattered desks and chairs. "I'm here to debrief you on a security leak, so sit down, shut up, and listen. I don't have time to deal with snot-nosed brats who can't behave like shinobi."

"Ah, Uzumaki-san, isn't that a little harsh?"

His patience was getting a little strained. Sure, Iruka was a nice guy, but they weren't training court guards here. Naruto was well aware his own training was much harsher and more comprehensive than those before him, but there were things – he hoped – that they all shared, for Konoha's sake. It was becoming clear, however, that he was wrong.

Ignoring Umino's concern for the moment, Naruto continued. "The Academy was recently infiltrated by a traitor, intent on passing personnel files and data on to a known enemy of the state. As ANBU Torture and Interrogation staff are currently overtaxed, I'm here to take any statements and answer questions that reference declassified material as per Charter Directive G-238, and the Hokage's discretion." The blonde's official monotone managed to get him more attention than the uniform, and it began to sink into more than a few there that he was serious. His sudden shift in purpose was due, of course, to Sarutobi's meddling... apparently he took it as an opportunity to get the report taken, that he'd come by the class. No wasted resources... "I'm also here as a familiar face, and to assure you that ANBU was handling the threat, and present to handle any issues had they arisen."

There was a scoff from the front row, and a source that he'd honestly expected. Though Sasuke had kept mostly to himself, there were a few personality quirks that Naruto knew he'd be stepping on, walking into the room in uniform. Sadly, with what the Hokage had expected of him, there wasn't a choice.

Deciding that he should simply quell any opposition to his work here and now, the blonde pinned the Uchiha under a surprisingly weighty glare. "Something to say, graduate?"

"I'm a Genin, Dobe," Sasuke indicated his forehead protector, amid some chuckles at the supposedly mistaken ANBU's expense.

Naruto spared him a wicked grin. "Not yet. Though, that would be spoiling it for your Jōnin instructors. Now, unless you want me to tie you up and gag you so I can proceed without interruption...?"

"I'd like to see you try it."

There was a brief flurry of motion, and while most had their eyes pinned to the front where the blonde still stood, apparently disinterested, those who had their eyes on Sasuke found themselves gaping. Walking up toward his doppelganger, another Naruto tossed a bound and trussed up Sasuke Uchiha down on the floor, before dispersing into mist. "Alright. Consider this an example and warning. I'm here on the Hokage's business. Interruptions will not be tolerated. Am I clear?"

His glare stopped an a livid pink-haired girl, shoving whatever protest she meant to make back down her throat. Her blonde companion wisely kept her tongue still.

Clapping once, Naruto grinned a familiar, if colder, grin. "Excellent. Now, I'll be calling you each up to the front, to take a statement." Scratching out a seal quickly, the blonde held it up. "This is a privacy seal. Within five feet of it, nothing can be heard outside that range. After I take your statements, I'll answer what questions I can.

"Now, lets begin." Naruto took a seat, as the classroom glanced between him, Iruka, who looked poleaxed, and the still bound and gagged supposed Rookie of the Year. "Aburame, Shino. Please step forward."

–

Naruto went through the roster quickly, knowing what questions to ask and how. His only hangups and delays revolved around a few former 'classmates'.

Sakura sat across from him after being called up, looking torn. "So. You weren't really here to attend the Academy, were you?"

Blinking back at the girl, Naruto crossed his hands before him. "No. My presence here was a plant to locate then draw out the traitor. The persona I was issued was given to me to be low-threat and with the most probability of masking my purpose and goals," the Jinchūriki noted, scratching out some of the details upcoming by memory. "Alright. First question-"

"Was it all a lie, then?"

Naruto paused, the interruption stalling him slightly. "Excuse me?"

Sakura looked absolutely uncomfortable. "What you said... about me. In class. Was it all a lie?"

Heaving a sigh, Naruto checked his watch. He had time to deal with this, he just didn't want to. Why the girl needed to know was beyond him. "Yes and no." Seeing the girl's confusion, he continued. "Yes, you are a nice girl, once you get past some rough spots." He refused to answer to her look, pulling her out of the mire of her personality issues was Kakashi's job now – not his. "No, I am not in love with you."

Seemingly satisfied, if inexplicably – to Naruto – saddened, Sakura sat quietly and answered his questions with a minimum of fuss and interruption after that. "Alright, that's all the questions. Did you have anything personal that you wanted to ask that requires the privacy seal?"

Hedging for a moment, the girl finally shook her head. "No. I'm fine."

"Thank you for your cooperation," the blonde replied, a clear dismissal. Sakura stood and returned to her seat, subdued.

–

He smiled warmly at the nervous girl across from him, her hands hidden from view behind the desk. "Hinata-san, is it ok if I ask you a few questions?" Swallowing near-audibly, the pale-eyed girl nodded jerkily. Naruto tried to be as gentle as possible with his questions, though they were easily harmless. Had she had any contact outside of classes and Academy duties with Mizuki? Was his conduct with her, professional? What, if anything, did she notice about him, that stood out?

Many questions were simply to shore up any holes in his own observation. Some helped to profile the traitor, so they would be better prepared next time. Others were asked to help jog the student's memories, of critical points where Naruto had found anomalies. Those were for their benefit, to help understand what had happened.

Finally done with his battery of questions, Naruto smiled at the girl again. "You're done. I had something I wanted to mention, by the way."

Blinking up at him, the girl's face was equal parts frightened and hopeful. "You will be working with Hitomi Hyūga now, yes?" Surprised at the question, Hinata simply stared at him a moment before squeaking out an affirmative. "You'll be in good hands. She's a good friend of mine. Practically family as well."

Hinata absorbed that information with a stunned look. "Y-you know Hitomi-san?"

Nodding, Naruto filed her report. "Yep. In fact, I'll probably run into you two occasionally, when I come to see her. Don't want to lose touch." Reading the girl's crestfallen look correctly, Naruto couldn't help but laugh quietly. "Hey, Hinata. Nothing like that."

"O-oh. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to assume-"

Naruto waved her off. "Don't apologize. Now," leaning forward seriously, Naruto got the shy girl's attention. "Just because I was here on a mission doesn't mean I don't consider some of you guys friends. I'm sorry I wasn't able to break my cover, and help out when I could at times. To make up for it, just remember that Hitomi's my friend, and if you need help, or someone to talk to, you can go to her. Or if it's something you need someone your own age to talk to about, she can find me." Smiling at the girl's brightening expression, Naruto patted her hand, where it had strayed to the table. "Now, was there anything you wanted to ask, that you needed the seal for?"

Hinata's eyes were fixed on his hand, where it rested on hers. "Um, Hinata?"

With a shiver, the girl's eyes rolled up in her head, and she started to fall forward, "Oi, Hinata!" Catching her before her nose could smack into the table, the blonde heaved a sigh. "Well. At least she's taking it about as well as expected."

–

"I dunno what to think about this man," Kiba muttered, slouching into the seat he was offered. "I mean yesterday you were... well, an idiot."

Naruto smirked slightly. "A ninja's finest tool is deception. Apparently, the Hokage thinks it's wrong of me to use it against my peer group."

Kiba blinked at him blankly. "Uh. Ok. So, uh... what happened to Mizuki-teme?" Questioning the Inuzuka boy went much easier than Naruto had expected, considering. Naruto blamed it on shock, honestly. Tomorrow, he was sure that Kiba would be back to being his abrasive, confrontational yet amusing self.

"Alright, Kiba, we're done. Anything you want to ask that requires the seal?"

Nodding, the Inuzuka peered around, before leaning a little closer. "So, you're really ANBU?"

Smiling a bit, Naruto nodded. "Officially, as of today. I've been in training since I was around seven, and spent most of my time in the barracks."

"Holy... well damn," Kiba chuckled, shaking his head. "No wonder you pulled one over on us. But yeah, my question..." A lecherous grin spread over the boy's face. "Are the showers in the barracks really co-ed?"

Naruto laughed at that, deciding to throw the other boy a proverbial bone. "Yes, Kiba. They really are."

"Lucky bastard," Kiba sighed. "Well! I know what to aim for then!"

–

Naruto kept a neutral expression as the Uchiha threw himself into the chair across from him, glaring daggers at the blonde. "Lets get this over with."

Mirroring the Uchiha's sentiment, Naruto proceeded with the questionnaire quickly and concisely. Sasuke proved less observant that he'd expected, however when it came to if he'd seen any jutsu outside of the normal being performed by the traitor, Sasuke proved a gold mine. Mistakenly, he'd assumed the diagnostics and strange analysis jutsu the man used were for record's keeping, and were done to everyone. He also had believed some of the man's special training lessons were because of his skills, before being corrected by Naruto.

"Those aren't training scenarios," the blonde noted, frowning slightly. "Those are physical assessment exercises. Strange."

Sasuke was beginning to realize the gravity of what Naruto was saying. "What was he doing? Was he targeting me?"

"My best guess? Testing you. Gauging your potential. As to why..." Naruto pointed at the young man's face. "You are the last possible bearer of the Sharingan bloodline. There really is no end to the list of those that would do nearly anything to get it, or other bloodlines present here. Kumo's already tried against the Hyūga in recent years, after all." What Naruto was truly concerned about, however, rested in the source of those orders. Orochimaru wasn't an unknown to him, but he was also highly classified. Reading between the lines, Naruto knew that meant exceedingly dangerous. "I would suggest you head by T&I directly," the blonde noted, handing the other boy a card. "Ask for Inoichi Yamanaka – Ino's father. He's a good man, and a brilliant mind-walker. Any details you can get him in regard to this may end up helping us, and more importantly, _you_ in the future." Taking the card, Sasuke relayed little of his true concern.

"Now, anything that you need the privacy seal to ask me about?"

The Uchiha blinked up at him once, then nodded. "Why? Why did they choose you?"

There was no bitterness, no jealousy in the question, only frank curiosity. Apparently, Sasuke had lost his ire, between the point when he was tied up, and when he realized that there was potential that he'd been targeted by the traitor.

Considering the youth's question, Naruto stared at his hands for a moment, before answering. "Because... I didn't have anything else," he replied frankly, meeting the other boy's dark eyes. "No family. No connections. I was about to leave Konoha, but they offered me a choice. Serve, or... well the other option wasn't so good."

Sasuke blinked, then frowned. "So they made you?"

"Not really. I had a choice. I made the right one."

"Why do you think so?"

Naruto was slightly confused, but the intensity, the real _need_ in the Uchiha's voice kept him talking, despite it being the most the two of them had conversed in nearly two years, the length of their association. "They gave me something to believe in. To be a part of, again, when I had nothing, felt I had lost everything. It's strange to think of ANBU as a family, but there you go."

"I see," Sasuke stood, a pensive look on his face. Without further comment, he turned and left the blonde to his own thoughts.

–

Ino sat across from the other blond with a thoughtful look on her face. "You're the last of the group," Naruto pointed out. "You have some idea what I'm going to ask?" Seeing the girl nod, he continued on with the questionnaire. Despite his detachment, he couldn't help but note Ino's assessing gaze.

"Alright, that's all for my questions." Tapping the privacy seal, Naruto continued, "Is there anything you wish to ask, that requires the seal?"

"I don't know about requires," the other blonde replied, thoughtful, "but I'd like to ask some things."

"Go ahead."

Gathering her thoughts, Ino proceeded, "Why the act? You were treated pretty bad by the kids here... myself included... and now that I think back on it, there really wasn't much reason. I mean your pranks were harmless. What have some people got against you? Or, well, at least your persona?"

Naruto spared the girl an assessing gaze, realizing he'd underestimated her ability to read people. Considering the question, he folded his hands. "It's me, as a person. Or rather what I represent, as no one outside of some childhood associates, my Division, and the Hokage know me well at all.

"In a way, my persona was crafted to maximize that. It was a decent cover for my assignment."

Ino frowned seriously. "But we're your..." realizing she was about to say friends, and that it would be a lie, the blonde paused. Naruto's slight smile, and the wary cast to his eyes told her well enough he'd noted her slip. "Peers," she finished quietly. Somewhat daunted, the impetuous blonde went on, "We'll all have to work together at some point. Why deceive us all?"

Laughing quietly, Naruto nodded to her point. "In a way, you're right. I will end up working with some of you, some day. Not all will join ANBU, I may leave it, other things may come up," disregarding the other possibilities, Naruto forged ahead. "But, deception, as I pointed out to Kiba, is a shinobi's primary weapon."

Thinking of how to help the young woman understand, Naruto tried a different tactic. "Your family has cautioned you about displaying clan skills outside of your team, right?" Seeing her hesitant nod, Naruto continued, "Part of that involves basic security – they don't teach you a lot, while Genin, so you don't pose a threat to Konoha, the rest is to give you an edge in the Chūnin exams, some day."

"I don't understand."

Pursing his lips, Naruto checked his watch. "I have a few minutes... I suppose I can explain." Reaching out, he flipped the tag over, break the privacy seal. "I think this is a class topic, though. Go take a seat, but if you have a question, feel free to ask."

–

Standing before the class again, Naruto looked pointedly to the clock, and then Iruka. The Academy instructor nodded, understanding the blonde's meaning. He'd be done soon – easily allowing time for team announcements. "A few of you asked me about my assignment, and why it was necessary to essentially lie to everyone.

"The easiest answer would be to say it was my job, and let it go there." Seeing the dissatisfaction on a number of faces, the Chūnin held up a hand. "However, that isn't what I'd do. The first part of it is exactly that – I was assigned a duty by my Kage, and as a shinobi of my Village, I am bound to perform that duty, or risk punishment."

Naruto noted the slight unease his words caused. "That is the role of ninja. As a ninja of the Leaf, your ultimate goal is to fulfill the orders of the Hokage, and do so in the spirit of Konoha."

A hand was raised, and a hesitant Sakura asked, "I don't understand the last part."

"Good, I was pretty vague on purpose," Naruto quipped, getting a few glares, and a few more grins. "What I meant by that, is that Konoha, in fact every Village, does things somewhat differently." Pacing slightly, Naruto pointed to a random student. "As an example. What would you do, in this situation. Faced with a bandit troupe, who out of necessity due to winter, had begun preying on local merchants outside of a town, you were requested to assist with the issue."

Turning, he wrote a few points on the blackboard. "These are variables you have, given minor recon and information gathering skills from your initial encounter and speaking with the clients."

On the board, he wrote a number of points. 'Local militia depleted – war', 'Food stores sufficient for larger population', 'Border town, often raided', 'Significant fortifications'.

"Now. What would you do? Kiba?"

Standing, the Inuzuka boy considered the question for a moment. "Uh. Kill the bandits?"

Naruto scratched his answer across from the options on the other board. "Ok, there's one answer." Turning again, he pointed to Sasuke. "What do you think?"

The Uchiha knew this was a test of sorts, and that the answer wasn't as straightforward as the simple mission suggested. However, his initial instincts told him that an extended mission, overly complex, would be a liability. "We're ninja, not diplomats. There are other options, but the quickest and most direct would be to eliminate the bandits."

Nodding, Naruto added 'Assassination' to the list of responses, extrapolating Sasuke's answer slightly. "Ok. Who has another answer?"

Shino raised his hand, standing. "Perhaps the bandits could be swayed by offering them some of the excess food, to leave the town alone?"

Naruto smiled, adding his answer, 'Negotiation', to the board. "That's an option. Who else?"

Seeing that no one else would speak up, Naruto took on a lecturing tone. "To explain my point, I need to mention one more thing, to give you perspective. Konoha was founded and runs off of a concept often interpreted to mean many things. 'The Will of Fire' means different things, to different people," he noted, recalling the Hokage's words on the very topic, from many conversations. "Ultimately, it is you who must find your own meaning, but the one I carry was given to me by the Sandaime himself.

"The Will of Fire is our bond to not just Konoha, but one another. Alone, we are weaker than we are together, which is the founding principal behind the formation of Konoha, in the first place. To protect those bonds, to protect each other, to protect the dreams of those we are responsible for, despite the odds, despite our weakness – that is the Will of Fire I was taught." Cooling his speech, Naruto paused for a few moments, realizing he had gotten as caught up as old Sarutobi tended to at times.

"Konoha, as a military body of Fire Country, carries an obligation when we are involved to also protect the interest of Fire Country. Our Will of Fire extends to our clients, as well. Within reason," the blonde added, smiling slightly.

Pointing to the board, Naruto resumed his speech, seeing his time nearly up. "There is an answer that fulfills that spirit, and also strengthens Fire Country, our allied town in question, and ourselves, by nurturing our own Will of Fire."

Moving to the response board, Naruto neatly scratched out the word 'Peace'.

The silence in the lecture hall was deafening. "Anyone want to try to explain that answer?" Seeing no volunteers, Naruto grinned. "Alright, I'll take a shot at it." Pointing to the note about the militia, he began, "Our local bandits are not trained militiamen, but would make a good addition to that force, and in time, replace the missing defense they brought. Their reasons for being what they are, are simple – survival." Indicating other points, Naruto expanded his explanation. "There are significant barracks already in place, as well as work for the bandit force, as well as food. Also note, the point at being a border town.

"Negotiation with the bandits to become citizens solves the problem of the raids, possibly going so far as to allow the return of the stolen goods – stability and a home mean a lot to those who lack it. Surviving, is not, after all, living." Naruto missed the pointed look his recent comments elicited from a thoughtful Uchiha. "Fortifying the town strengthens the border situation. In the end, your duty if fulfilled, and you have protected not only Fire Country, but gained allies, and done so with little actual force."

There was a lot of murmuring, and a few curious glances his way. "But... we're ninja. Aren't we supposed to fight?"

Naruto grinned at the speaker. "We _can_ fight. We don't _have_ to, nor do we have to follow another's idea on what a fight is. A ninja's most valuable tools are deception, information, and preparation. We are not samurai. We are not bandits. We do not fight with just our fists, jutsu, and kunai." Naruto tapped his temple, for emphasis. "We fight with our minds."

"As I was explaining to Yamanaka-san, explaining the role of deception to a shinobi, I touched on a few points." Looking to Iruka, Naruto apologized, "This is my last one, I promise."

"No," the Chūnin mumbled, stunned nearly speechless that this person was the real Naruto, "Please, go on."

Nodding, Naruto returned his attention to the hall. "As Genin, your duty is to learn the rules and basics of being a shinobi – the Academy was simply the foundation. None of you are hardened to battle, to conflict. As such, that is why you of ninja clans and those with personal techniques were warned against sharing them openly, or displaying all your abilities. To protect you, from other Villages. It's infinitely easier to gain data from a Genin, than say a Chūnin. It is also why the Academy only tests you in minor ways, preserving your privacy and your skills.

"Deception. We hide our skills, to take our enemies unaware. In a short time for some of you, the Chūnin exams will arrive. Many know about them already, having shinobi relatives." There was a spattering of nods and eager smiles, at that. "In those exams, there is a double-standard. To show our strength – yet hoard our secrets. You may be set against fellow Leaf shinobi as well. The lesson remains.

"Deception. Keep your secrets. Understand what is safe to show, while keeping a hidden hand with a trump card always ready. That is a shinobi's way."

Laughing quietly, Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I think I've been lecturing enough. Iruka has your team assignments ready?" Seeing the scarred Chūnin nod, Naruto took a few steps back, giving him the floor. To his surprise, there was a short burst of applause, which grew, until even Iruka joined in. Blinking in surprise, Naruto couldn't help but beam a smile, bowing low in response. Quietly, where no one could see or hear, he mouthed a quiet 'thank you,' to his classmates, and one manipulative old monkey.

–

Within the Hokage's office, a number of stunned Jōnin and one smug Hokage stared into the Spying Crystal.

"Dear Kami... _that_ is Uzumaki?" Asuma reclaimed his cigarette before it could fall from his lips.

Kurenai had watched the entire display, from his entry on, with pursed lips. Her interest piqued during Naruto's chat with Hinata, where he showed kindness – apparent even without sound – to the shy girl. It was clear their 'reports' about the demon container were far from accurate. "Where have you been hiding this one, Hokage-sama?"

"ANBU Division Six," came a drawled reply from the back of the room. Kakashi stood with his usual book present, though anyone who knew the man could tell easily enough that he wore a smug grin. "He's been working with us for the last five years."

The collected Jōnin spared one another wary looks, sometimes looking to their Kage for reassurance. "Was that... wise? We all remember what happened with Itachi."

Kakashi snorted at that, rolling his visible eye. "When the war with Iwa was ongoing, we field promoted and pushed a number of promising students forward. Myself, Gai, Asuma. There is precedent for rapid advancement, with the proper teaching.

"Itachi lacked that, being only instructed and pushed by his family and the Uchiha council," Kakashi replied to the various defensive glares aimed his way with one of his own. "And before anyone tries to defend them, posthumously, I'll remind you all that no one outside of me and said traitor know the Uchiha better. So save your commentary."

The few who had looked rebellious at Kakashi's demonization of the Uchiha backed down at that, though few seemed completely mollified. "Still," Asuma questioned, "this is... Uzumaki."

"Is this concern of yours based in his reported skills, false as those were, or are you concerned about his special condition?" The Hokage's question brought attention back to the conversation, and seemed to catch most up in it. "If you're worried that his tenant is only pressing him for more power, your logic is obviously flawed."

Bristling, Asuma retorted, "How so? This is a demon we're talking about."

Sighing, Sarutobi sat and peaked his fingers. "What need, a demon like the Kyūbi for human skills? For morals? For talents like Naruto's?" Seeing that none had a response, the old man continued. "And for those of you not voicing your opinions that perhaps the demon is biding its time, waiting for an opportune moment – it has had more than enough. I meet, alone, with Naruto often to speak on various matters often. If the Nine-tails had wanted to strike a critical blow to Konoha, it would have done so years ago." Turning his sharp gaze from Asuma, who seemed properly cowed, the old man addressed the room. "So. Who else has concerns about my most recent Chūnin and ANBU operative?"

"Chūnin already," Kurenai's voice seemed speculative. "Really?"

Nodding, the Hokage gestured to Kakashi. "I believe you have all been at least nominally debriefed about Division Six's recent actions, and Naruto's role in the Academy?"

Humming, Anko – who was present as a Jōnin, but not as a potential instructor – nodded, knowing more than she let on. She was enjoying the show, after all. "The apprehension of the two traitors? He was put in place to flush out the leak, yeah?"

Sarutobi knew Anko's game and suppressed a grin. "This was a mission, actually. Naruto was unofficially promoted to Genin two years ago, when we learned of the issue. He was placed because our records were compromised, and we couldn't use a Chūnin. Division Six's information gathering, planning, infiltration, and attack plan were all coordinated primarily through Uzumaki, in this case."

"Surely you're joking," a Jōnin questioned, looking to Kakashi for backup.

Grinning beneath his mask, Kakashi snapped his book shut. "Nope. Kid's got talent. All I did to assist in this was offer some pointers infrequently, and polished the final attack plan. He's a natural infiltrator. If I wasn't being reassigned, I'd have requested Division Six begin Field Ops with him as a full member."

That declaration turned more than a few heads. Kakashi was not one to throw about compliments or praise lightly.

The only response left, was voiced by a curious potential instructor. "So I take he's not available for teams, then."

Sarutobi couldn't help himself, and laughed openly, and loudly.

–

While the recent Academy graduates were worrying over their team tests, one particular blonde was haunting a training ground, working on a project that the Hokage gave him – namely, trying to isolate his chakra flows and find ways to regain the use of his Earth and Fire skills.

So far, the results hadn't been very encouraging. "Ow! Damn it, there should be a rule about not being susceptible to your own... beetles." Picking yet another bug-shaped caltrop from his sandal, Naruto tossed the offending piece of metal aside. "This is getting me nowhere..."

Slumping down beside a tree, the blonde pulled his mask away, letting the gentle morning breeze soothe his nerves. He'd been out since before dawn, hoping to avoid any other ninja who happened to be training, but considering his current progress, Naruto almost welcomed some interference.

Fate, being as quirky as it was, decided to reply. "Ow! What the hell is that?"

Slitting an eye, Naruto felt his spirits fall. Just what he needed... "Good morning, Sakura."

Blinking in surprise, the pink-haired girl held up a bug-caltrop. "Did you leave these here?"

"Leave? Not... technically. I was doing some jutsu practice."

Huffing, the girl minced her way through the treacherous grass. "My god, they're everywhere! Ugh, you know, Kakashi-sensei is going to be testing us here, right?"

"Huh? No, I didn't now. Sempai didn't say anything about where he'd be taking his team." Recalling an Earth-based camp jutsu, that would return a disturbed campsite to normal, Naruto figured it was worth a shot. Worst case scenario – the ground would be a lot less forgiving, later. "Doton: Mukidou Michi."

(Earth Release: Trackless Path.)

Sighing, Sakura settled her fists against her hips, filing the blonde's address for her own sensei away for later, "Idiot, that's an Earth tech...nique..." Eyes widening, the young woman watched as all the steel beetles dissolved back into the ground. "...that shouldn't have worked on metal objects. We learned that one in the Academy, it should only affect the ground."

Naruto nodded, leaning his head back against the tree he had sat under tiredly. "It's also used to return damaged training grounds to proper order. Just a matter of chakra use." Hoping she would drop the issue, Naruto fell back onto the grass, his mind working on the problem at hand.

"Say, not to be rude, but why are you here? I mean we'll be doing our test soon..."

Sparing the girl a curious glance, Naruto turned his attention to the sky. "Hm. What time did he say to meet here?"

"Nine?"

Humming, Naruto settled back to the ground. "He'll be here around noon, then."

Sakura made to retort and defend her instructor, before she recalled that he had been late the day before by a number of hours. "...is he always late?"

Naruto knew that the Jōnin was likely playing up his tardy act to teach the Genin patience, so said nothing in regard to that. Rather, he decided to help his Sempai out, seeding a little chaos as he went. "It's hard to say. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Best to be safe, however. He can be pretty brutal with his punishments for being tardy or absent."

"Isn't that somewhat... hypocritical?"

"Kakashi-sempai is former ANBU, as well as a well-respected and heavily trusted Jōnin. If he's late, he likely has a good reason," Naruto assured, knowing full well the man was either hiding nearby to gauge his team, or simply bored and harassing someone for fun somewhere. His bets were on the latter. Still, a seed of truth wouldn't hurt, _per se_.

He was saved from further conversation as the rest of Team Seven showed up, making it there 'on time', rather than fifteen minutes early like their kunoichi teammate. Apparently, Sasuke had gotten over his irritation at the blonde, and offered a mumbled greeting to him as well as his teammates. In reply, Naruto yawned. "Too damn early to be practicing. Ah well." Deciding that an outside opinion may be useful, the blonde sat up, addressing the lone kunoichi present.

"Hey, Sakura. I'll make you a deal. Since I bet Kakashi told you guys not to eat-" he paused, and watched the three wince, grinning triumphantly. "...heh. Well, as I was saying, since he pulled that on you, here's my deal. I'll get you guys some breakfast, if you help me work on something."

Looking to her teammates, Sakura was hesitant, "But... he said not to eat breakfast."

Naruto blinked at her in confusion. "Um. How are you supposed to perform, if you don't have the fuel to do it? You eat before missions, hell it's why we have food pills and ration bars."

Sasuke's eyebrow developed a tick, and the other kid, Akagai, seemed to be studiously occupying himself with not looking hungry. And failing.

Peering between the three, Naruto grinned slightly. "Yeah. Eat before missions. Any of them. He's probably going to get mad at me, but I'll manage. So, is it a deal?"

"What do you want us to do?"

Nodding to Sasuke, Naruto stood and stretched. "That camp jutsu? Trackless Path? Can all of you do it?" Seeing three nods, the blonde grinned. "Alright. I want you to channel the chakra, hold the seal – but not release the jutsu. Stall at the collection point, just before you pulse the chakra into the ground."

Sakura looked confused a moment, before slowly doing as he requested. Naruto quickly began the process of attuning his chakra to hers, as if he were going to force a Kawarimi. Sensing the change in him, the girl hesitated. "Um. What's that? It's... strange."

"Ah," the blonde hesitated, fishing for a lie. "Think of it like a sensor talent. I'm getting used to detecting specific elemental profiles." Which was true. If he could feel and mimic someone's chakra signature when they were using an Earth Release jutsu, then it would be easier for him to work on separating his outer coils for that purpose. He couldn't differentiate the two systems currently, but in time he felt it was possible. This would just give him a leg-up in preparation.

Desire for breakfast overrode any other questions, and the youths took turns focusing Earth chakra, as Naruto in turn synchronized himself to them, as if preparing to Kawarimi against them. Fifteen minutes later, Naruto was beginning to understand the subtlety of the elemental chakra, having worked through three other chakra systems to 'feel' it out. He couldn't do such a thing on his own, as of course any time he tried, the array imprinted on his inner coils would activate, ruining it. It was also enough time to leave his companions cranky and ill – apparently, practicing a jutsu that way repeatedly was somewhat tiring.

"Alright, that's enough," the blonde called, halting the three before another round. "So, what do you guys want for breakfast?"

Of the three, Sasuke's request was the hardest – tomato omelet, really? – but Naruto knew of a place he could get all three something, without much trouble. He returned before Kakashi made an appearance, to see the three lightly sparring and warming up for their test. "Ah, cool," Akagai greeted, calling the other's attention to the returning Jinchūriki. "That was quick."

"Retired ninja chefs are the best thing to happen to fast food," Naruto quipped, getting a smattering of laughter in response. "Well, you three enjoy – I'm off to work on my sealing." Seeing a few raised brows at that, Naruto paused. "Seals. You know," pulling out a scroll, he quickly scratched out a low-yield explosive array, separating it with a sliver of Wind chakra, before detonating it with a flip of his hand. "Seals."

Sakura was staring openly, while Sasuke seemed to be struggling with words. "Ah, Do-er... Naruto," the Uchiha amended, "seals aren't exactly covered in the Academy."

The blonde knew this, from his time there, but he'd assumed that they taught at least _something_ before the period he'd attended. "You're... none at all?"

"Just how to recognize them," Sakura replied distractedly.

Suddenly uncomfortable, Naruto stowed his gear quickly. "Ah. Well then. Maybe I should talk to Iruka about that..." muttering, the blonde made his way out of the field, leaving behind a trio of confused, if well fed, prospective Genin.

–

Despite his words, Naruto did not head to the Academy. For one thing, the operation some days ago had whetted his thirst for action, and another, he began to understand the intricacies of living on his own, fully. Before, when he had his apartment when young for a short time, it had been subsidized by the Hokage, from some unknown fund. He hadn't even picked out the space – Sarutobi simply moved him there from the orphanage.

Division Six's barracks were essentially the same. Then, not that he counted it, there was the staging area for his Academy infiltration. Now however he had to balance his accounts, pay taxes, worry on his own food and furnishings... the list went on and on. The Hokage's favors in the voucher and the large payoff for his mission taken into consideration, Naruto realized he'd need to be taking regular C-ranks, or doing multiple D-ranks per day to balance the books.

The problem of course... he lacked any kind of real team, now. Somewhat hesitant, and with mask in place, Naruto approached the ANBU mission office, to get an assignment.

"Oh," the rather old woman behind the counter blinked at the young man, "you're new. Alright, I need your assessment, and a signature." Somewhat baffled, Naruto pulled out the sheet he'd gotten from the Hokage, and handed it over. With great economy, the old woman perused the form.

Name: Naruto Uzumaki  
Callsign: Kitsune  
Rank: Chūnin  
Shinobi ID: 012607  
Skills Assessment:

Taijutsu – C (advanced CQC, intermediate Kenjutsu)

Ninjutsu – B (Classified, clear with agent)

Genjutsu – D (natural defenses – B, null offense)

Fūinjutsu – Basic Arrays mastered, Intermediate rank. Advanced skill in deconstruction and analysis.

Traps – Intermediate, Advanced if seal-assisted.

Tactical – Field operations clearance.  
Notes: Classified S-rank.  
Clearance: D-B, or by Hokage request.

She regarded the piece of paper, then the youth before her with a gimlet eye. "You must be rather good at seals to get this mission clearance. But," shrugging, she stamped and slid the paper into a slot in the wall. "It's not my place to question.

"Missions are listed on the boards, by rank. You're cleared for D through B ranks, or others by the Hokage's allowance. My suggestion? Take a patrol D-rank, just to get your feet wet."

Nodding absently, Naruto moved to the mission board, marked "D", and inspected the listed jobs. They were mostly boring and short term things, like tending the barrier walls, recharging defensive arrays, helping with the near-Konoha patrols. Just enough to get one's feet wet, as the old woman had said. Deciding he wanted something with a little more action, Naruto plucked an open patrol slot request. "I'll go with this."

"Familiar with the routes and check ins?"

"Trained under Wolf," Naruto replied, making sure his kit was ready and secure. It may only be wall patrol and security, but it was a mission, and he was ANBU.

The old woman waved him off at that, "You'll be fine, then. See you in a few hours, Kitsune."

"Take it easy, Baa-chan."

Cackling quietly, the old woman leaned back, a content smile on her face. "Ah, hope he hangs around. It's been too boring recently."

–

Naruto felt himself lucky, watching as a few migrants from Grass skulked about the walls of Konoha, apparently thinking themselves stealthy enough to avoid a patrol. Some time eavesdropping on their conversation yielded some information on why they were acting so strangely, and it irritated Naruto to no end that such things were encroaching, or had made their way, into his home.

Blood Bay was a drug, common enough to be found easily, but still harmful for those without a fully developed chakra system. The effects were somewhat profound, and in medical situations, rather beneficial. Blood Bay was the primary ingredient in Soldier Pills and similar tools, but in its unrefined form it wasn't nearly as controlled. To a non-shinobi civilian, the rough and often unreliable dosage could prove fatal, as it boosted one's physical energy output drastically, making the user experience a feeling of invulnerability, boundless energy, and power.

The come-down was harsh, to say the least. Without refinement, Blood Bay was also nastily addictive, and if used regularly and without care, tended to cause one's body to begin breaking down. Most often, those who were addicted showed the signs by the exaggerated and bloody-hued veins under their skin, proof of the drug's danger and the origin of its name.

Naruto knew that Blood Bay was available in Konoha – how could he not, considering his childhood neighborhood? – but also knew that the local Yakuza tended to be rather clean in their dealings. Oh, they still peddled drugs, but they never pushed raw Bay. To the thug with something to prove, however, the harsher high was appealing.

Watching and waiting, Naruto paused at intervals to send and dismiss clones along the rest of his patrol route, not wanting to shirk his duty, or abandon his stake-out. He was rewarded an hour or so later, as a pair of what looked like lower-class Yaks slinked out of the surrounding forest, putting the Grass natives between them and the wall.

Few words were spared between the two parties, as neither seemed to trust the other at all. Surprisingly, the suppliers were moving their drugs without sealing them, making Naruto's witnessing all the easier. Having all the proof he needed, the blonde pulled his wakazashi and treated the edge with a sticky resin, before creating a handful of clones, one per target.

Without warning or signal, the blonde dropped from cover behind what he identified as the lead Yakuza, slashing at his exposed forearm with the weapon he held. Immediately after scoring a hit, he moved to the next nearest, the Grass native a few steps away. As the blonde danced around the targets, his clones pulled their attention, keeping them from running or putting up a solid defense. These weren't even bandit-level challenges, so the Jinchūriki had no trouble at all in subduing the lot of them, only bothering to cut a fine line along their skin here or there.

Seeing that his poison was working well, Naruto stood back as his clones began collecting the falling and progressively incoherent traffickers for detainment. Assured that his clones could handle the men, Naruto moved on, not wanting to relegate an entire portion of his watch to just another clone.

After all, there may be someone else to arrest, out there.

–

"Good afternoon, Kakashi. I trust your team is doing well?"

The Copycat stood at loose attention before the Sandaime, nodding distractedly. "Oh, yes my cute Genin are doing well enough. Surprisingly, the Uchiha is normalizing, if slowly. Given time, he may even start acting like a human being again!"

All humor – even if in bad taste – aside, the Hokage knew that Kakashi wasn't there to speak about his _current_ team, however. "So, what brings you to my desk today?"

Discarding all trace of mirth, the cyclops' expression, what could be seen of it, turned serious. "I have some concerns about Naruto." Nodding once, the old man gestured for him to continue. "That is... why hasn't he been put in a regular Division? Tenzo was hoping with his promotion, to be able to snatch him up for regular duty."

He'd hoped to stall this conversation for some time, but regardless of his apparent disability, Hatake proved again and again to be adept at seeing beyond the obvious. "We, and by that I mean the elder council, have decided to push young Uzumaki in a different direction."

"And that direction is...?" The only sign of Kakashi's irritation was the slight narrowing of his visible eye.

"Self discovery," Hiruzen mused quietly. "Tell me again, how much you and Hitomi actually assisted with Naruto's modifications to those minor skills he has?"

Frowning under his mask, Kakashi replied, "Very little. He would come to us to help him test. Otherwise, he liked to work on his own. Apparently, all our peering over his shoulder stifled his... creativity..."

"And there you have it," the old Kage replied genially. "Though I have restricted him to working on D through B rank material, and informed the ANBU mission office to quietly limit his workload, he continues to take on tasks that should be done with a Division, rather than alone." Peaking his fingers, the old man cocked his head. "Why do you think that is?"

The obvious answer came to Kakashi first, "Shadow Clones. He's rather good at utilizing them. For someone with his ingenuity, having literally more hands to work with makes the skill more potent than in the hands of others."

Nodding, the Hokage sat back in his chair. "Perhaps it was the age he learned it, but have you ever seen clones behave as his do? I myself have worked with the skill repeatedly, working to mimic that subtle difference. Yet, I do not get it."

"Subtle difference? I don't understand."

"You see ingenuity," the old man pointed out, staring out over the skyline of Konoha quietly. "But I see something with far more potential." Unsaid, he refused to wonder if it would be for good or ill.

–

A month passed, much as they tended to, without much to show for its loss. Naruto worked his way through D to B ranked missions, the latter taken in hopes of running into Tenzo's team. Between studying to understand and make the most of his odd chakra condition, training on his own to keep sharp and progress his skills, sealing practice and the occasional visit to his adoptive family, Naruto found his life curiously busy... yet empty.

It wasn't that he didn't feel the connection to Division Six's former members that he had anymore, or that he wasn't satisfied with his place in the scheme of things, but he did feel something was missing. Companionship, people to share the day with, simple human comforts.

That lack pushed him to work harder to maximize the use of his clones, though it was a pale substitute. At the end of the day, they were, after all, all him, and the memories he gained only compounded that fact. There was a brief period where entertained the possibility of combining sealing with clones to upgrade them somewhat, but the possible repercussions of such a thing... he still had morals. Something about creating thinking, living, autonomous human beings from his own chakra that could exist independently of himself just seemed to cross too many lines.

Despite all that, he was beginning to consider the option. Rent was due, groceries were needing to be bought... Naruto ran through the list of things that prompted him to take a B-rank mission, even if it was one close to home. "Alright, we've located the defector," Naruto murmured quietly to his shadow clone, who's mask turned his way silently. "Thirty-six hours to observe him for any contacts, before the deadline to bring him back."

"Three clones to cover the other points," Naruto muttered, drawing up and focusing the chakra needed without handsigns. Silently the summoned Kage Bunshin moved to perform their tasks. He wished it was a mission he could delegate a part to the clones for, but this required his attention. That in mind, Naruto settled in for a potentially boring afternoon, watching the defecting council member fidget and fret in the clearing below.

Araki Gintamo was a low-ranking member of the civilian forum, essentially a nobody, but he had friends in higher places than was often comfortable. This was reinforced when the man was found missing, along with some of the trade council's records for the last few years. Feeling like he could find greener pastures elsewhere, the man had been in communication with some outside factions for two months now, feeling out his destination from among the offers made. After the Mizuki incident, Naruto had kept his eyes open for such missions, having barely dulled his desire for action on patrols, scouting, and recon missions within the borders of the largest and most powerful of the Elemental Nations.

Occasionally he would wish for more exciting work, then recall that such things tended to bite one on the ass, later. There was also the problem with missions that he simply could not perform, even with his clone skills. Intricate logistics missions that needed a spread of skills he simply couldn't provide. Delicate extractions. Deep-cover infiltration – no thanks, at least for a while – and assassinations that had high-profile targets.

It wasn't the technicalities that kept him from the latter missions. He'd already killed, and thanks to Yūgao's counseling for the event, understood the necessity. It helped, putting things in perspective for him, while the swordswoman's words echoed in his mind. He didn't like it – but he'd picked his path, no sense crying foul about the technicalities now. For the time being, he'd avoid the obvious kill missions, till the Hokage decided to put him on a team...

That worried him, sometimes. Was this just some odd ploy to make him drop out of ANBU? Why promote him then? Shaking off those musings, Naruto did have to wonder why he'd essentially been placed on a team of one. Not that he didn't adapt, in a fashion.

His skill with Kage Bunshin was accelerating to the point where it felt nearly instinctive now. Creating them with chakra threads to coordinate, using more complex skills, instantly setting up tasks and changing orders via summoning and dismissing them. Of course, none of that would be possible without the Nine-tails' chakra boosting his own, though according to Hitomi's occasional reports, there was no sign of the vile red presence outside of the seal.

More than once his skill with those clones became the crux of a mission. There was one, a mission with aggressors had turned hard in their favor because the target didn't expect the kind of seamless teamwork they'd been able to offer in response. It almost rivaled his use of seals, which reminded the blonde that he was falling behind in his research, now that his source materials were exhausted. There simply wasn't anything else in Konoha he had access to, to study. He could always begin experimenting again... though the last mistake rightfully made him wary.

His sentry to the northwest created and dismissed its own clone, relaying news. Apparently, it had sighted ninja in unfamiliar gear moving to the target's location. When a handful of minutes had passed, and nothing was apparent, Naruto started going through the pros and cons of just rushing that position with a full battalion of clones, when the sentry was dismissed forcefully.

Summoning a relay clone, he dismissed it. The message was sent, and the other sentries moved to cut off the advancing ninja, as he began to move. He was already in the air, hands crossed, before the last sentry was moving. "Kage Bunshin!" Knowing their orders, the clones swarmed and detained the defector, moving him rapidly as they could back toward a safe-drop zone some hours before Konoha. Dashing between the trees, he sped to the northwest. Within moments, he could hear the sound of conflict, muted and eerie, the tell-tale signs of ninja at work. Breaking his rush just beyond the sound of battle, he spared a clone, quickly applied a Hensō to mimic a squirrel, then dashed up the tree as his distraction drew fire from a trio of targets.

Dismissed clone memories made him silently curse. The three wore unfamiliar headbands, marked with a music note, and all seemed to be of near-Chūnin skill or better, considering what he'd seen.

Target one was a bulky youth maybe a little over his own age, in a large coat with a strange gauntlet, and was working the last sentry over, who seemed disoriented and staggered.

Another was hanging back, female, and seemed a ranged fighter. It was her senbon that took out his other sentry.

The last seemed to be mid-range support, considering how he held his arms... but that was hard to nail down. The posture reminded him of the Yamanaka's clan-specific style, but only superficially. Either way, based on how he moved, it seemed he was very positional – whatever attacks he'd launch, they'd be clearly telegraphed.

Deciding to get his staggered clone out of the fire and give the larger target a fresh opponent, Naruto settled on a plan, and a test for a new variant on his Kage Kawarimi.

"Hijutsu: Zureru Sankaku."

(Hidden Art: Shifting Triangle.)

Because all of his targets were those he could easily attune to, there was no 'spin-up' needed, before he could use the technique. Completing the last position of the three-sided shift, a Kage Bunshin was created under cover to Naruto's distant left, connected by chakra string. Synchronizing their timing, he pulled the sentry into the Kage Kawarimi, while his clone pulled him across to its position, using a split-second break to perform a Shunshin into the place the harried clone had forcefully vacated.

The end result was his Bunshin taking a hit intended for the sentry, ruining his cover and dissipating. "So much for a fresh opponent," Naruto grumbled, dismissing the remaining sentry to regain its memories.

He sorted the influx as quickly as possible. "Right. Girl is ranged, something odd about her senbon. Couldn't nail it down. Kid with the death fascination," Naruto recalled the mid-ranger, and how his clothes seemed to repeat the character for 'death' with a nod, "used some kind of air or sound blasts to herd me into position. The ape has some kind of assisted weaponry. Unsure of the nature. Seemed to make cause dizziness and a loss of balance, even when he missed." Having the opposing team's measure, Naruto stood with his back to the tree, listening for their next move.

Distantly, the female's voice could be heard. "You think he had backup?"

The large shinobi snorted, "He was a low-rank Leaf ANBU. If his squad isn't here yet, it isn't coming."

"What about that clone?" The middle ninja called loudly, "That wasn't him."

"Distraction tactic, to cover retreat." the 'ape' replied, scanning the trees nearby. "Kin, what about our contact?"

Shaking her head, the now-named kunoichi snarled slightly, "the seal is dimming. He's moving away from us."

Smirking at the larger ninja, the other male mocked, "So, about that squad, Dosu?"

"They aren't here, obviously, Zaku."

Building a small group of clones, Naruto relayed his orders. "Screening pattern," Naruto muttered. "I'll cut off the range, make sure one clone is left, and keep it nearby. Otherwise, hit and run, minimal losses." The 'team' nodded to one another, and as one, Shunshined into the fray.

Dosu felt the chakra buildup, and spun to defend against his familiar attacker, only noting with a distant annoyance that the damage he'd done seemed healed, and that the original brought backup. "Not had enough yet?" Not bothering to swing his oversized gauntlet this time, the foreign ninja simply braced it, facing the clones. "Then take this!"

The Kage Bunshins grit their teeth at the sudden wave of disorienting sound, but hazarding a guess, pulled chakra away from their ears, dulling the sense of hearing. It helped, though not much. "Inner ear," one mused, cursing. Rather than sit idly by, it moved out of the range of the weapon and palmed a set of special kunai. Twisting the rings, he grinned savagely. "Not bad, how about we exchange gifts, then!"

The first kunai landed short, while the second and third struck to the man's left and right. "I've seen better aim from toddlers," he mocked, till he noted the ANBU's anticipatory posture. "Shi-"

All three kunai, loaded with a tightly-wound cylinder of exploding notes in their handles, detonated at once, turning the bundle of dry wood the shinobi they'd trapped in their blast range into so much heated and shrapnel perforated ash.

While his clones remodeled the landscape, Naruto worked to cut off any reinforcement. "Kin! Here!" The ninja named Zaku aimed his arms Naruto's way, and the blonde felt the buildup of chakra, but was already speeding through seals.

"Kōton: Haganeiro Bōheki," he concluded, his hands seemingly in a Ram seal, but with closer observation revealing one in the similar Tiger as well.

(Steel Release: Blue-steel Bulwark.)

Zaku's cry of "Zankūha!" (Decapitating Air Wave!) was muted, as was the impact as the technique collided with a massive rise of dark gray metal, bursting up from before Naruto with a spray of displaced earth. The steel wall wasn't tall or very wide, extending only ten feet to either side of the blonde and five above, but it was thick and more than enough to block whatever the mid-ranger had. Naruto noted the ringing impact of something on the wall, his chakra telling him it did little to his barrier, eliciting a smile.

"Now for part two," he muttered, speeding up to place his hand against the wall. Channeling chakra again, he closed his eyes against the strain. This was only his second of three Steel Release techniques, and he'd been hoping for a combat test. Though, he regretted it came at the cost of so much chakra in the middle of battle.

"Kōton! Ochiba Ryūsandan!"

(Steel Release! Shedding Shrapnel!)

He knew a simple wall wouldn't keep his two opponents at bay for long, but of his three techniques, one needed a large supply of existing metal to work with any efficiency, while the other was still untested. Opening with the Bulwark was the perfect setup for his current attack.

The Shedding Shrapnel technique warped the existing wall's far face, where the other two ninja were preparing to abandon their position and move to flank the guarding Naruto. Quicker than Zaku or Kin could react, the distorted wall burst like an overripe seed-pod, shooting out torrents of sharp steel fragments at his enemies.

The fragments weren't as damaging as say, kunai or shuriken, but the sheer mass and number made it a dangerous skill. Forced to abandon their attack plan, Zaku and Kin retreated, while the steel wall exhausted itself slowly, continuing to pelt the area with the steel debris its mass was being converted into.

Satisfied with his distraction, Naruto substituted with a waiting clone, facing the single isolated target.

Pulled into the oncoming attack of Dosu's gauntlet, the Jinchūriki winced and fell to a knee, cursing roundly. "These guys are really annoying," he bit out, getting a laugh in turn from a clone, who dragged him back out of the line of the foreigner's range of effect.

"It affects the inner ear," the copy related, readying a wind attack. The clone paused, as Naruto's hand grabbed its wrist. "Huh?"

"One more test to do. Wait till I finish, then hit the result with that," he ordered, getting a mischievous grin from his partner.

"Kin! Zaku!" Dosu bellowed, seeing his supposedly easy prey doubling before him. "Stop screwing around!" When he didn't get a response, the gauntlet-wielding ninja rounded on the new arrival angrily. "What the hell did you do to my team?"

Naruto only shrugged, using Dosu's distraction to reorient himself and shake off his dizziness. Alternating handseals, half-Tiger, half-Ram, he ended on Tiger as the third, taking a deep breath.

To his side, the clone winced, hoping its creator knew what he was doing as he followed through with its seals, ending on Dragon.

"Kōton! Tantetsu Yojin!"

(Steel Release! Forge-iron Embers!"

"Fūton! Kazekiri!"

(Wind Release! Wind Cutter!)

Dosu watched confused as one of the fox-masked ANBU used an unknown element, spewing a swirling mass of red-hot flakes from where his mouth would be, while the other ANBU prepared what he knew would be a low-level Wind skill.

Figuring he'd best protect himself from the odd fire skill first, Dosu responded with his own jutsu, collecting and spitting out a torrent of water, "Suiton! Mizurappa!" (Water Release! Violent Water Waves!) He doubted the Wind Cutter could push through his Water skill, so ignored it, for now.

The ANBU's skills collided, sending a storm of now white-hot steel flakes riding along a pressure wave of superheated air, which was intercepted by the foreigner's Water Release – for a moment. Unable to overcome the combined dual-nature and propelling air wave completely, Dosu's geyser blasted away in an explosion of steam as the searing metal cooled only slightly as it hurtled through the air. Eyes wide in shock that his counterattack was utterly destroyed, the gauntlet-wielding ninja tried to recollect and use a Kawarimi, but found himself too slow from his previous action.

Naruto and his remaining clone watched as the molten flakes covered the now-screaming ninja, scalding away his skin while burning his clothes. "Oh wow," Naruto's clone muttered, blinking at the writhing ninja, "That's a keeper."

The original could only nod and cough, the heat of the skill not completely focused as well as he'd hoped. Before the two could move to restrain and capture the now unconscious and badly burned ninja, his partners arrived, shocked to see him down. "Zaku, cover fire," Kin ordered, while she bent down to inspect the badly injured ninja. "Shit, we need to evac."

"No way! Zankūha!"

Still recovering from his overuse of Steel Release skills in rapid succession, Naruto was slow to guard against Zaku's attack, taking the slicing wave of sound across his arms. His ANBU armguards crumpled and buckled under the assault, making his hands useless for seals as they pinned muscle to bone, but he didn't take the hit fully. "Damn it," he swore, barely managing to draw a kunai. "Regroup, I can't use jutsu."

"Right," the clone muttered, using its own Kage Kawarimi to swap positions with the Jinchūriki , snapping into another set of seals directly after, "Doton: Butō no Jimushi," was followed by, "Fūton: Kazekiri."

His clones of course shared Naruto's issue with Earth and Fire, so the tripping marble scarabs instead became sharp-pointed caltrops, hindering the other ninja's movements, keeping them from advancing. The Wind Release was simply a harrying effort, as the clone tried to push the two to dodge, and subsequently, damage their feet.

The remaining false blonde ducked another air blast, as he noted the girl stabilizing their teammate. "Do we move to capture or...?"

"No," Naruto bit out angrily. "I'm lacking chakra and that blast screwed up my arms. You're probably no better. If we're at a draw, then there's a chance we'll loose. I'm not taking it, when we need to get intel and the defector back to Konoha."

Easily as irritated as its creator about backing down from a fight, the clone had to agree with his logic regardless. "Kawarimi to the treeline, then Shunshin to range?" He offered, pulling them aside from another air blast from the now-enraged Zaku.

"Yeah," the Jinchūriki agreed, as the two fled the battle moments later.

Alone with their injured teammate, the two remaining Hidden Sound operatives breathed a sigh of relief. "Zaku, help me. We need to get him back to base."

Calming with some effort, the aggressive ninja spared the treeline one last glare before spitting on the ground, "Yeah, alright."

–

Nightfall came, and with it, a disheveled and irritable ninja as he stumbled into the makeshift hide that was burrowed between a tree's roots and a nearby wall.

Wearily, he created a single clone, flinching as his coils protested. "Hensō and mine the prisoner for anything critical," Naruto mumbled, nearly stumbling over his own feet. "I'll get the kit sorted and the blind in place." Only nominally better off than his creator, the summoned copy nodded vaguely as he took on the foreign kunoichi's form, shuffling deeper into the switchback tunnel. A small portion of his chakra returned with memories of guarding an irritable and blustering politician, and getting a senbon shoved into the base of his skull Naruto noted, slumping against a wall tiredly, after pulling a camouflage tarp over himself just in case.

The clone used the limited contact and memory to mimic Gintamo's contact, explaining that ANBU managed to ambush her team. She produced a facsimile to the seal the real Kin had used to track the man, which was enough for the blustering politician to shut up and spill some critical data.

"Thank Kami you found me. If the Hokage's forces got their hands on me, I'd be a dead man."

'Kin' growled at the pudgy civilian. "They might still, asshole. And your information better be worth more than my dead teammates, or you may just not make it to our destination in one piece."

Paling, the 'released' captive made to leave the cavern thinking it safer, but was pushed back by the stronger kunoichi. "We stay till morning. I'm exhausted, and if another patrol comes by, you and I are dead." Settling by a nearby wall, between Araki and the exit, the clone heaved a very real sigh of relief. "Fuck, but I'm tired."

Having only barely witnessed any conflict in his life, the defector tried to offer some words of comfort, only to be brutally rebuffed by the terse woman. Eventually he stopped trying, leaving a gulf of silence between them. "So," 'Kin', wondered, seemingly to simply stay awake and pass time, "what do you have that's so critical that they'd send a kill-team after you? We weren't expecting that."

Fidgeting, the trade guild administrator tried to figure out what would warrant that. "I-I don't know. I have data on the raw materials that were taken in, what parts were sent to the weapons and farm good producers, who the original contracts were from..." the man trailed off, spewing a veritable ledger of data. The shadow clone eventually got sick of memorizing, and told the man to write it all down.

Narrowing his eyes, Gintamo pushed the writing materials away. "What's to say you won't just leave me here after? No way."

"What's to make me take you with me," she growled back, pushing herself angrily to her feet. "None of that crap sounds worth losing my teammates over, you filthy sack of shit! So either write it down, or I'll break your legs and leave you outside for the animals or ANBU to find, and just write you off as a fucking loss!"

Cowed, the trade magnate got to work, as the clone grinned to itself. Even if the pursuing force caught up to them now, they could simply kill the man and head back home with speed. He had a few things left to figure out first, though. "Sorry. It's... just kinda hard. That fox-faced bastard tore them apart." The defector grunted, still put off by her threats. "So, what did you plan to do where we're going? Did you make arrangements?"

Faced with the tedium of his task with or without idle chatter, Araki took the less boring path. "Hidden Sound offered me a position to be the front for trade to Earth and Waterfall. I'd use my trade contacts outside of Konoha, moving them to Oto."

Hidden Sound didn't ring any bells to the summoned copy, but he knew better than to push too much harder. The man was already suspicious. While he chattered on about his trade contacts – he made note of those already expecting his defection – Araki completed his scroll.

"Thanks," 'Kin' mumbled tersely, tossing him a blanket for the scroll. "Get some sleep." When the defector had the blanket up over his face for a moment trying to get comfortable, the clone tagged his foot with a poisoned senbon. Cursing caves and bugs in general, the man fell into a drugged sleep, while the clone smirked behind its mask, finally releasing the Hensō. "Idiot."

To the front of the cave, the copy gave a three-part whistle. Naruto appeared shortly, tying the traitor up, while his clone set up a secondary blind wall, so he could get some much-needed rest.

When he awoke roughly eight hours later, Gintamo was greeted by the sight of his 'rescuer's' bane, the same fox-faced ANBU that supposedly butchered her team. And a lot of blood smeared across the walls of the shallow cavern. "W-What?"

"She wasn't hard to track," Naruto hissed from behind his mask. The blood was from a rabbit he'd had a clone kill and dress, serving as breakfast for that morning. It was amazing how so little blood went so far, if used correctly. And the stupidity of civilians. Without word or sign, three more of the masked ANBU appeared beside him, moving to tie up and gag the now panicked defector.

"Rejoice," he called back as two of his clones carried the man between them, the third playing rear guard. "For we return home, victorious."

For obvious reasons, Araki didn't share Naruto's mirth.

AN: Seen the lone wolf ANBU Naruto before. This wasn't anything new or unique, and I HATE building Jutsu names and mechanics. If you know how I research, you'd understand why.


	4. Chapter 4

Warning: I'm not pulling any punches with these, as they're SCRAP FILES. This is my raw, personal edits and not screened for much other than my own inner grammar nazi. You can expect just about anything, and I know there are a few scenes of mature and violent content. Some of it _harsh_. So, be warned.

Premise: HOO BOY. Yeah, this one was me getting all up in people's comfort zone and saying "Hey, this bother you? Huh? Huh? You ok there?". Lets take a kid in a world where 'magic' is common, make him uncomfortable in his own skin, give him the ability to shapeshift, then toss him in the Red District. Yep. This was FUN.

—

**_The Face In The Mirror_**

In a delicious twist of fate, it would be the legacy of a whore that brought the ninja world to its knees. A few words, imparted to a young boy with bright eyes and hair like the sun, who only wanted someone to love him. Some people can see the tangled weave of fate, even if it isn't tied so much as bunched up and liable to shed threads and knots with cataclysmic abandon. So, a woman who had once loved a man named Namikaze – but was no relation to his son, oh no – thought it would be just the funniest thing in the world to set the child of an unstoppable force and an immovable object on its way, her way.

Kushina would be proud. The bitch. Ah well, she'd leave a flower on the unmarked grave that blind, deaf, fool monkey that bore the title Sandaime had ordered set aside for her, all in the hopes of preserving a memory. Perverting it, more likely, but that was aside from the point.

Naruto. The boy with no true face of his own, but with a heart that refused to be slain. Oh, how she planned to laugh about this one day.

But first, she would gloat about what lead up to her having this marvelous opportunity...

–

The first and only thing that seemed constant about Naruto Uzumaki is that he wasn't. It was an adage familiar to the ninja that populated his word, but applied there in the larger sense. Assume nothing – prepare for everything. Few took that singular idea, and applied it to every single thing. Like little children or his smile, for instance.

It may not be wholly cheerful, but then, who is? Especially in a Village staffed, built by, housing, and deploying ninja.

To learn about his smile, first though one must learn about hate. Naruto learned about the depths and nuances of hate very, very early in his life. That isn't to say Naruto was abused, not in the physical sense. The Sandaime made his point exceedingly clear in regard to harming the young blonde early on, in a rather graphic and bloody way. After that, no one dared be blatant in their anger. Yet, people often neglect the power of kind words – or in this case, their lack – and glances.

Naruto learned to smile by the effect of vacuum. The absence of compassion. There was no kindness, but then, it was easy to see that there was also no happiness in those around him. Their hate seemed, to a young boy, very pointless. So, such an epiphany in mind, one day he decided to fix it. What he did had interesting aftereffects, and set the stage for all else that he would become.

A scowling and broody Naruto made people edgy, and more prone to be cross or hateful. A smiling, gleeful Naruto was ignored, and sometimes forcefully overlooked. High on the benefits of his first idea and its success, Naruto determined he would find other ways to trick those around him into being nicer – because really, things couldn't get worse, right? And so his false happiness became actual happiness, if a bit twisted in source.

A little voice told him that this was bad, that he shouldn't lie so much, but another, just as insistent part of him said that if it let him be a bit happier, then what's the harm? And he wasn't lying, not really. Tricking people into thinking what they wanted to just meant they weren't smart enough to see the truth!

Pranking became a fixture in his persona after his one violent altercation with a grocer, who refused to sell him food that wasn't spoiled, then took all his money and refused to give him change. He said it was payback for his son, and the least he could do, seeing as he wasn't able to do what he wanted. That escalated into a shouting match, then to threats, and finally to a young blonde boy snarling openly, his eyes going slightly red and a retired failure of a ninja who never made Chūnin going for a knife.

Both were pulled before the Sandaime, and their statements taken. Flush from being called a liar, and returning the favor, Naruto realized a few important things about his life that day. One, no matter how bad people treated him, the Hokage would never implicitly stop them from doing so. Two, even threats from the Hokage were easily forgotten, and people who got them for whatever reason, only found more creative ways to hate. And finally, each action spread out, its subsequent reactions like the ripples in a pond.

Later that week, amid insults, sneers, and upturned noses, all of which Naruto could ignore, he found things he could not. Like a small girl his age with pink hair, trying to be nice and his friend, turned away by a different grocer who immediately started talking about 'the demon' in supposed whispers to a woman who had to be the girl's mother. Naruto had excellent hearing, however, though on that day he wished he didn't.

The next day, his new friend told him to never talk to her again.

Rage wasn't something Naruto, as a young boy, could understand well, but he knew it hurt. Knew it festered and chewed at his gut till he heard and felt things that made him even angrier. So, he decided to get even. If people could be creative in their hatred, he could be creative in turn.

Though everyone knew it was him, they only found him to be responsible for things that were considered 'harmless but really annoying'. Found being relative, as the blonde was crafty and cunning in ways, that if they actually paused to think about it, should have left the ninja of Konoha terrified wrecks. Here, a child that had no training, no experience as a ninja, managed to work his mischief, and only seemed to allow himself to be caught after the fact, often from laughing harder than he ran. Though, not every prank was funny. Naruto was careful to hide the more potent of his revenges.

The man who had lost a son, for instance, got a steady diet supplement of a chemical Naruto stole from an ANBU assassin, drunk from his assignment, that rendered a person sterile. Good for killing off royal lines, without all the fuss of a dead body.

The grocer who had cost him his friend, had pictures of he and his mistress delivered to his wife. If Naruto lost someone, so could he.

But those were never tied to Naruto, because Naruto was too busy painting silly faces on the Academy roof, and dumping buckets of chalk dust on teachers. After all, really, who expected a demon to be subtle in his revenge? Not that he understood what they meant.

They really should have considered what kind he supposedly was.

The color orange was almost a direct result of his sudden fondness for pranks and little revenges. It was also the beginning of Naruto's lifelong career in infiltration.

–

"I swear, I can't handle that watch anymore."

His ears perked up. Naruto recognized that voice as an ANBU he had dealt with in the past. They weren't around much, in so much as a ninja was ever supposed to be around he mused, which meant only when they needed to be. Even young, he understood that meant they were always around – just unseen. So, of course he was interested.

It helped that it felt a lot like eavesdropping, considering he was currently skipping class and napping in the exposed rafters of a roof, underneath the ninjas. Such things were always more fun.

The ANBU's partner, likely another ANBU or a member of the civil police, grunted a question. "Just... alright. The bottom line is the color."

Voicing Naruto's own question, the other man grunted an intelligent, "what?"

"Orange," the ANBU grated out. "My Byakugan practically aches from staring at it off and on all the time. I mean, it's no big deal," the ninja backpedaled when his partner stifled a chuckle. "Just the headaches later are monsters."

Laughing openly now, the ANBU's partner tried to keep his mirth quiet. "So, the mighty Hyūga, dodging that shift just to keep away from a color? That's..." his composure broke, and he laughed again.

"Don't make me Jyūken you in the balls, asshole."

The next day, Naruto purchased an entirely orange wardrobe.

The day after, the Hyūga tripled their budget for mild pain relievers, and pharmacists all over Konoha rejoiced.

And as most things that became habit did so, it simply became habit for those with the Byakugan, who made up a large part of ANBU Surveillance, to be somewhat less attentive to Naruto Uzumaki.

After all, he was enough of a headache to simply keep track of, why compound it with a very real one?

Though it was much harder to accomplish, that small episode lead Naruto to his first lesson in how Konoha really worked.

–

"What's a Hyūga?"

The Sandaime raised a brow under his wide hat, regarding the smiling, cheerful, utterly blindingly colored anomaly before him with something akin to surprise. "And where, Naruto-kun, did you hear that name?" In truth, how could he not? They were the biggest clan, proudest clan, and most vocally proclaimant of those ideas in the Village, but really, it was a valid question.

"Eh?" The boy's face turned into a mask of confusion. It was an honest emotion, if a bit misconstrued by his company. He already knew who the Hyūga were, generally, but that didn't answer what they were. Why they didn't like orange, or why no one would answer a simple question about them when asked. "Doesn't everyone know the name?"

Perhaps the Hokage had misjudged. "Yes, well I suppose so. Maybe you can narrow your question down somewhat? As in-"

"Oh!" The youth proclaimed, pounding a fist in his hand. "I get it! What makes a Hyūga, a Hyūga!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi blinked once, cracking a slight smile. "I suppose if one's parents were Hyūga..."

Chuckling, Naruto played the game with the Hokage for a while, content to know that the man enjoyed it as much as he did. They went on for some time, till he'd managed to get out what he needed. He learned that the Hyūga were the best trackers and spies in Konoha, and that they were a large part of its ANBU and ninja force. There were brief, skeletal descriptions of the Byakugan and Jyūken as well, though he made little sense of what those were. 'Good eyes' and 'painful in a fight' seemed good enough, for now.

It was also just nice to be around the old man. Sarutobi was no fool, he knew, so Naruto dropped the face he wore in public around the Hokage – but his smile never left. That was genuine.

But, then again, wasn't the other one? He was happy, in his own way. Everyone around him saw him as a threat, as a thing to either fear or hate for some reason, but despite them, he lived well. Happiness was easy when you could so openly celebrate your victories. So, smile he did.

–

Naruto was not smiling when he met with the Hokage the next week. "They kicked me out."

Having already read the paperwork, the Hokage peered over his pipe at the small boy. "And why would they do that, Naruto-kun?"

Not feeling very accommodating to playing a questioning game, the youth bit back on his snarl, till it was only angry, and not mocking. "Maybe because they blame everything, including things impossible for me, on 'the demon', and have drummed up enough paperwork to push it through?"

Taken slightly aback from the heat of those words, if hiding it well, Sarutobi considered the youth's meaning, and rifled through some paperwork on his desk. It would be... taxing, and problematic in a number of ways, but he could fix this.

He would fix this.

Sadly, that was the problem with the older ninja's philosophy. He was truly kind and considerate in his waning years, but he had lost the edge most shinobi require to stay alive. Preemptive action. Sarutobi reacted more than prepared.

Hence, why Naruto was recompensed, rather than shielded.

"I have something in mind," the old ninja stated. "How would you like to have your own apartment?"

Naruto blinked at that for a moment. "I'm six."

Chuckling, the ninja once known as 'The Professor' peaked his hands. "Yes. This... consider it an exercise in learning something vital to your future."

"You mean in being a ninja," the youth countered, a smile sneaking onto his features despite his still-raw anger. He knew that the civilian and trade councils had their complaints about that idea, which were ultimately swatted down like annoying gnats by the Hokage's absolute rule when it came to military matters.

The balance in that action was paid by Naruto, who suffered at the hands of those subject to the trade and civilian lobbies. Banks, grocers, the orphanage he resided in, and various small issues. Yet, neither side would budge – Naruto refused to back down on being a ninja, for reasons he would not divulge, and the factions countering him would not back down on staging a cold war in embargoes and financial guerrilla actions.

It was time to give the boy a safe haven.

"Indeed," Sarutobi murmured amid a cloud of smoke. "As it turns out, I have a sum of money that would go far to making certain arrangements for you," that they were Minato's belongings, held in storage at this point meant little. Nothing of true value would be given up. A chair was only as meaningful as the memories behind it, in this case, and if it went toward ensuring the boy's safety and peace of mind, then the chair would be sold to the highest bidder. He'd ask forgiveness in the afterlife. "In addition, I think this would provide an excellent situation for you. Being independent is a skill set many ninja have forgotten. Though we favor teams, individual strength is needed to reinforce any situation. Do you understand?"

Naruto thought he did. It would be hard, but that would only be because there were things he needed to learn. He had to do so quickly, and then put them in place just as quickly, or it would all be for nothing. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I do," he murmured, nodding. This was also too ideal to pass up. His own place? No minders? Heaven!

His smile turned into a wicked smirk. An orange Heaven, no less.

Somewhere not too distant, a certain clan head shivered, his eyes focusing for some reason on his finance reports. He did not miss the sense of foreboding that crawled up his spine.

–

No word was leaked to a realtor, to explain why the apartment (building?!) was in such disrepair or why it was in such a horrid location, but when he thought about it a moment, the whole thing seemed mostly ideal.

No one would willingly go into the slums, to harass him. Frankly, it was dangerous enough just living in a Hidden Village, but to temp fate and parade around exuding violent intent in its seedier sectors? There are cleaner and less soul-traumatizing ways to kill oneself.

The condition of the building made it easy to buy outright, which utterly removed all the annoyance of landlords, neighbors, and such small concerns as having positions for ANBU to keep guard. They could take their own room, if they wanted to.

Not that Naruto would make that easy on them – oh no. He'd learned by observation and trial-and-error that much of his ANBU minder force were Hyūga. That he had an ANBU minder force of his own added to his overall sense that something wasn't quite right, but that was a question for another day. For now, he concentrated on the immediate problems in his life.

"What the hell do I do with an entire apartment building?"

The first answer, of course, was to live in it. That was easy enough... superficially. Then the next morning dawned, and he had the utterly unpleasant experience of having absolutely no hot running water.

Preempting him, the Hokage had left a letter – while he was in the shower freezing important boy bits off no less – on his table, explaining what to do about this.

"'Learn how to fix your own house'? What?" Naruto shivered and sank into a ratty couch, ironically, disturbing a rat that ran out of it. Sparing the rodent only one gimlet eye, the boy considered the Hokage's words. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He was just a six year old, why did he-

"Ninjas in the Iwa war were put on the front lines by nine," a memory of an Academy instructor tells him.

Naruto sat there, blinking slowly as his mind ground its gears into action. He wasn't a very intellectual person by nature, more reactive and instinctive for whatever reason one decided to attribute it to. Still, he wasn't beyond learning such a thing. Specifically if it meant he could have a warm shower.

"Alright old man. Yeah, we can play that game."

–

The first step was to actually figure out how to learn, what he needed to learn. That wasn't easy, and considering his resources and the disposition of those around him, Naruto had to do the irritating thing, and get a 'clue' first.

This mean going back to the Hokage, but not to demand he fix things. Oh no.

"... teach me how to Henge."

Sarutobi blinked owlishly at the young man, having expected a hundred different requests, once the appointment was set. This was not one of them. "Excuse me?"

Naruto stood and started pacing, his naturally high energy balking and writhing at sitting while his mind worked. "You said, 'Learn how to do it myself', but the problem is, I can't," the youth explained, holding up a hand to stop the older man from his expected correction. "I'm not trying to weasel out. Just let me finish.

"I can't ask a different landlord. They'd lie to me. I can't go to the library, because they'd kick me out. I can't go and bother a tradesman, because... well see points one and two," the blonde pointed out, before halting. "So, I need to be someone else. That lets 'me' learn it, without having to rely on anyone else outside of finding the information sources."

"Now, Naruto-kun," Sarutobi began in a placating manner, thinking on which of his chosen solutions would work best, before continuing. "It really isn't as bad as you say."

Head tilted to one side, the Jinchūriki laughed. "Um, where have you been? You know I'm right, you just really don't like to see it. I mean, think old man!" Back in motion, he missed the Hokage's expression moving from one of irritation at his tone, to confusion. "You know why I don't bother shopping for food, right?"

With a small shrug, Sarutobi recited and answer one of his ANBU provided. "You don't cook. Why would you?"

"I do cook," Naruto corrected. "It was one of those things you didn't read on the orphanage reports, I guess." The snide bitterness wasn't missed by either of them. "They added that, as more proof I was being 'irreconcilably insubordinate'. I couldn't cook there when it was my turn, because the grocers only sold me old and rotten food, which even if I tried to cook anyway, got me punished for trying to poison people, which was then written up!"

Sitting back in his chair in mild shock, the Hokage quickly revised some scenarios he'd been presented with, against Naruto's declaration. If what the boy said was true, and he'd only been overlooking it because of his faith in those of Konoha... True some people were blinded by their unspent grief and rage, but for things to be this hostile? And in such degrees? But... why would Naruto lie? With a sigh, Sarutobi had to admit, even when the boy was trying to be deceitful, it wasn't like this. This was truth, without varnish. "So, to say you need to be someone else..."

"Everyone is the same," Naruto spat with venom, still winding down from his argument. "I try. I do. I smile so they don't think I'm a walking bomb of some sort, not that I know why," and here he sent the old man an obviously questioning look, that the elder ninja ignored. "Right, whatever. But that doesn't change that they do it. So, I smile, and they back off a bit. I screw around, and they think I'm harmless. Well, maybe I'm tired of that."

Mind instantly grasping the wrong implication, Sarutobi started badly. "Now, Naruto-kun, I can't have you attacking-"

"Who said I'd attack?" The youth asked, eyes wide. "What about defend? Thanks, old man. Nice to know what side of this you're on."

The Hokage winced, knowing well from their verbal spars he'd lost this one, and badly. He'd have to accede the Henge if he wanted to recoup this situation at all. "It is true I'm not... perfect at seeing the situation."

"You're blind to what you don't want to see," Naruto corrected without missing a beat.

Eyes narrowed in annoyance, the old man continued, "Be that as it may, I understand what you mean. I'll look into things, as well. If what you say is true, then..."

Shrugging, Naruto just sat back down with a huff. "Then what? People will still hate me, but then they'll know I can run to you. So they'll hide better, like I've learned to hide. I know they'll do it too, because they refuse to let it go, no matter how much I try and apologize. I hear them talking about 'the demon' this and that all the time. One day I'll figure it out," the blonde pointed out, but his words weren't angry. Just resigned. Perhaps that stung the old man more, and worried him. "But till then, I need to survive. One skill, to get me the others. I don't think that's so bad."

Considering the boy would be learning Henge in the Academy anyway, and in only a short time in the future relatively, Sarutobi agreed. "Very well. I'll teach you the skill." With a more dire face, the Hokage pinned his small charge with a glare. "Don't let me catch you abusing it."

Smiling, Naruto reached back and scratched at the back of his neck. "Eh, no worries. I'll just do what I need to."

Silently, Sarutobi groaned. "That's precisely what I'm afraid of."

–

There were reasons beyond convenience and age that factored into who and when children got accepted into the Konoha Ninja Academy. Each applicant was processed by a staggering number of tests. Physical compatibility, chakra levels and projected maturation, mental acuity and flexibility, reaction time, and those were just the high points.

Stupid, slow, trouble-cases, unbalanced minds, physically unfit... these were things that took specific overrides to be admitted to the Academy. Even more overrides to graduate later. Luckily, Naruto qualified as none of the above. However, he was not in control of his own assessment.

Sufficed to say, Naruto was not given a fair shake. To offset this, he burned all the test results in a small office fire, traceable back to the testing staff and with traces of an illicit drug, that had a mandatory sentence of three years.

Three years potentially lost for his goal, three years in a detainment center, suspended over an active volcano. It seemed fair at the time.

The bottom line on why he needed those tests was Village law – no ninja skills could be taught to civilians. He had to be enrolled in the Academy, which was going to happen anyway, so why not get it done now? What Naruto learned during that meeting and later testing in private with the Hokage there glowering over the various now-sweating and nervous second round of testing crew, was that for all practical purposes, he was fucked.

To the well-masked shock of those present other than the Hokage, Naruto tested very well. In one instance, too well. He had more chakra potential than the rest of his class. Combined. With the teacher thrown in for flavor. That of course meant that he had absolutely no chance in hell in using techniques devised for children using children's chakra capacities and channels. That included the basic Henge.

The Hyūga examiner – once he'd removed the three layers of damned orange – had told him how his situation worked. Where his classmates had the equivalent of little tubes all with a moderate flow of water like in an aquarium, he was running around with flood pipes blasting out hundreds of gallons per minute. When the Hokage pointed out this was a problem that needed a solution, heads came together.

One possibility was constant and persistent chakra control exercises, going from the top down and likely needing to be done for his entire life. Instead of the Academy level techniques, Naruto would learn A and B-rank control schemes, then as his control leveled out, proceed down the ladder. He had it to spare, and frankly, doing it the other way would likely hinder any later progress without constant supervision and coaching from someone of Tsunade's caliber.

And she wasn't helping.

The next option was chakra coil surgery, via seals. Initially the Hokage nearly line-vetoed that idea, but Naruto had wanted to at least understand what it meant. In essence, they would turn his chakra coils into something more resembling chakra springs. The seals would force his still-growing system into a massively condensed version, his present coils and the targeted ones taking up the same 'space', but by doing so by being tightly wound smaller channels. His capacity would be the same, but his ability to channel it would be vastly reduced. The downside was similar to any surgery – permanence. Changes like this could not be undone well, and such a thing should, he was told, only be considered once he was at his full growth.

Again, the situation wasn't feasible, amusingly enough because Tsunade wasn't available. Sarutobi was seriously considering sending out a search and retrieval team... until he recalled the last time he lost one doing that.

Finally, Naruto had put up with enough talk on how to fix it, and wanted to know the name of the elephant in the room instead. "Why is my chakra like this?"

It wasn't so much that no one answered, as that the room closed down. Faces went stoic, people stopped fidgeting and writing, the Hokage tipped his hat down to obscure his features. Even the Hyūga's Byakugan had activated from the spike in stress, and refusal to react in turn.

Naruto, despite his adapted persona that let him go day to day without crumbling into an emotional black hole, wasn't an idiot. He simply didn't let much of the world touch him, forcing the more irritating aspects to simply slide off, a kind of frictionless emotional barrier. That kind of construct took two things for him to maintain – will and understanding. Will was easy, as Naruto had a drive that monks would envy. Understanding took knowledge, and so far Naruto had contented himself with all his previous attempts to shield himself.

Now, faced with a direct, personal, potentially crippling issue that for some reason tied in with the combined hesitance and hatred of the Village, and the young boy had managed his fill. "What is wrong with me?"

"I'm afraid, Naruto-kun, that we cannot talk about such a thing."

The Hokage's words hit him like a physical blow. "Can't? No... everyone here knows, don't they?" More silence, a more potent answer than words. "Right. So everyone knows but me," standing now and pushing off a Jōnin's hands with remarkable strength, the young boy regarded the room coldly. "This is stupid. I'm leaving."

Frowning deeply, the Hokage cleared his throat to regain the attention of those nearby, and subtly alert ANBU to be ready. "But, Naruto-kun, you realize without these tests you cannot enter the Academy."

"Why bother? It's not going to change anything," the blonde muttered. "And you know what? I don't even know why I tried."

Sarutobi sighed, thinking that perhaps he should have listened to Jiraya and not his own paranoia, concerning the boy. "I thought one day you wanted to be Hokage."

Naruto squinted at the old man for a moment. "Not if it means lying to my friends and having to make people feel like this." Pulling on his shoes, the blonde missed the exasperated looks that shot over his head. Really, what did people teach kids that ninja were, anyway? That was when Naruto dropped his final bombshell. "And as for leaving, I meant Konoha. If I can't even know what it is they hate me for, can't be a ninja, and don't feel like anyone trusts me to even know what's wrong with me, what the hell am I doing in a ninja village?"

There was a pin-drop moment before the ANBU that had been alerted by the Hokage acted. He did not act in the way the Hokage wished, however. In fact, his action mostly ensured that anything beyond that moment would have been pointless to argue over.

With the speeds only a Jōnin ninja in active duty for years could accomplish, the ANBU unsheathed its regulation kodachi in a fluid movement that used elbows and shoulders to deflect any direct blows, and then slammed it through the ribs below the wielding arm, causing the blade to erupt out of its armored chest at a low angle.

Incidentally, directly into the neck of Naruto, whom the ANBU had grabbed just a moment before.

–

Naruto decided there was a kind of perverse correctness in finding his mind to be a sewer. Why he knew that, of course, stood... or rather, glowered out at him from behind a recessed wall, closed off to the rest of the sprawling tunnels and passages by an ornate gatework. But, he didn't know that in the beginning. What he did know was...

It was a really, really big fox.

"This isn't going to work," the thing behind the gate muttered darkly.

Looking around in confusion, Naruto pointed at himself. "Um. You're talking to me, right? What's not going to work?"

The thing snorted. "And here I thought that seal would filter it better." A gloating tone crept into the massive growling voice. "It is good to see proof that humans still fall and fail when grasping at things beyond their vaunted understanding."

"Are...are we even having the same conversation?"

Something about that seemed to snap the huge... whatever back to the moment. "Hmm. Perhaps we are. So, tell me little human. Do you know who I am?"

Considering the speaker a moment, Naruto shook his head. "Not a clue."

Nodding, the motion enough to make the youth bob his head comically as he followed along, the massive presence seemed to grin. It was not a pleasant expression. "That would make sense. Then I will tell you some things to make this work more efficiently, before the seal hinders us."

"Seal?"

"Patience," the being snapped. "First, a warning. I mean you no harm – this entire situation is... beyond my control. To my shame. Keep that in mind, it is crucial. Do you understand, boy?"

Frowning, Naruto nodded, before replying. "Um. Sure? But, my name is Naruto. Not boy."

If a thing with a fox's face could raise a brow, the blonde had to think the whatever-it-was did so. "Very well. Naruto. With what I said in mind, let me tell you about the Seal," the being indicated it with a point of its nose, "and why I assumed all you would hear when I spoke was incoherent roaring and threats."

Openly confused now, Naruto picked out a dry section of ground and flopped down. "Alright. I'm kinda lost, but sure."

"What binds me here is a complex Seal, a thing more terrifying and against nature than any other creation of man I have encountered. It binds and siphons the spirit of its captive, like a great insatiable vampire, feeding it to the host so that it may use such energy for its own desires."

Naruto stared in open horror at the simple, unassuming, rather plain little slip of paper with the single character for "Seal" printed on it. He was overcome with an instinctive desire to both rip it free and leave it the hell alone, till the being stomped a massive foot, shaking him and incidentally somehow giving him a slight headache. "Calm down, Naruto." After a moment, the great fox nodded. "The Seal binds my existence, in such a way that the host would die, if it was removed. Now, consider the nature of the Seal, and it being used against a being of pure spirit for a moment."

The blonde did so, a spark lighting in his eyes eventually. "It would filter... well everything."

"Precisely," the massive being hummed in what could be satisfaction. "It stands between me, and everything. If any who perceived me considered me a threat, then all they would perceive would be threats. So, before I gave you my name, explained my nature, or explained what is truly happening, it was crucial you understood our unwilling..." the beast snorted in the direction of the Seal. "...translator. But worry not, on me meaning you harm. I am contained – but separate. For now."

It was a lot to consider, but it explained the huge being's muttering in the beginning. He wondered what all that it said implied however. Was he supposed to consider it a threat? Should he? Still, the first thing the fox did was assure him he wasn't in danger, if only to make sure they could speak.

But that Seal bothered him, on a fundamental level. "You can't remove it from your side," Naruto understood with a slight flash of insight. "But I can! I'm on this side-"

"Do not touch the Seal," the fox hissed with such venom as to make the boy fall back a handful of steps. "Do not meddle in things you have yet to understand. If you take nothing else from this meeting, do that!

"Humans always do such things. Why do you think I am here? Had the one who crafted that Seal actually bothered to understand what he did, or ask me why I was..." trailing off, the massive being eyed him warily. "If he bothered to speak, before acting, I would not be here."

Absorbing that, Naruto had to admit, it was a good point. If people actually talked out their problems, rather than hid and assumed, he'd not have such issues himself. "Right. Yeah, that's good advice."

The beast smiled, a terrible sight. "Already smarter than the other one." Settling down so its head rested on forepaws, the fox continued, "Now, I must ask you to remain calm for the next few points. Can you do this?" Naruto nodded, but it wasn't enough apparently. "Swear it."

"Er," scratching at the back of his neck, the blonde shrugged. "I guess... I swear, I'll be calm while you explain?"

More teeth. "Good enough. Do you know what a yōkai is, Naruto?"

The word was pretty elementary. "Demon? A spirit from hell?"

"Yōmi is far from hell, at least as you think of it," the beast corrected. "But you are young. It will do. Yes, a demon, as you say. Do you know what they are?"

"Spirits?" The blonde hazarded, shaking his head. "I'm not sure." Something about this conversation was making him uneasy. Naruto wasn't a fool, and this had to lead somewhere, and if what he'd begun to suspect was true...

"Again, close enough." The fox sighed a massive breath, smelling of ozone and ash. "Yōkai are to Yōmi as humans are to this world. And in both, power can let you move from one to the other. The difference, as you said, Yōkai are spirits. Beings of energy, chakra if you prefer.

"As you have guessed, yes I am a Yōkai. Like many of my kind, I am far too powerful to be simply... destroyed. Contained? Delayed? Yes, of course. Obviously. But never destroyed. My spirit, my energy flows from me, to the Seal, becomes purified and without demonic venom, but it is still me," the beast roared the last, shaking every part of the sewer. Calming, with some small time, the beast regarded the small boy before it, barely larger than its own slit iris. "Do you know, now, where you are?"

Naruto shook his head, swallowing hard. "N-No."

"Stand up," the spirit demanded, scowling. "You showed no fear before – why now? Stand up!"

The blonde did so, regaining a measure of his own calm. "Right. So, where am I?"

A horizon of teeth opened up before him. "Within your own mind."

Several things clicked all at once. The thing in the cage was a demon. It was a fox. His birthday was the anniversary of the Kyūbi's defeat. People called him a demon. He had way too much chakra for someone his age. Then there were the whisker marks, his instinctive habit of going to all fours when running, his hearing, better night vision than his peers, among other things.

The Seal. Energy. Chakra, spirit, draining... "You... your spirit is..."

"What things you've gained from containing me, I do not begrudge you," the fox demon murmured. "Nor could I have prevented. But, you should know something about that Seal.

"Eventually, there will occur a balance. The energy it draws subtly changes you. From human to something else. Yet the Seal does not change. Will not change. And it is very, very specific. It binds me, a demon, into a you, a human."

"Eventually it will fail," the boy muttered.

The Kyūbi grinned massively. "And you will die, when I am released."

"You don't have to be so... so smug about it! I didn't put you in there!" Naruto paused a moment, brows furrowed. "Wait. I almost... took the Seal off. Why did you stop me?"

There it was, the massive demon growled to itself. This is why he abided. "Do you know what eternal beings fear?"

Naruto considered that, considered what he understood of anything to do with demons and fear, and hazarded a guess. "Death?"

"I cannot die," the beast before him stated with a sneer. "For I never lived. I was created immortal, an idea. Ideas do not change... they persist, until forgotten. And I have ensured I will never be forgotten. Yet, I am more than just that idea, because I, like many other of my kin, complicated ourselves. We became... complex. No, eternal as I am, I do not fear death."

"I fear boredom," the great kitsune stated with a sigh that stank of fire high in the sky. "It, not power, not station, not some grand destiny drives me forward.

"And it is why I find this situation... interesting."

–

Naruto came awake two days later, as far as ninja counted time.

He'd talked with Kyūbi for what felt like two years. He'd read somewhere that the entire length of a dream happened in less than a minute, so it made sense that he and the demon had more than just a few moments to 'chat'. The downside of course was that he woke headachey and in a foul mood. For all his sleeping, his mind got very little rest. But, that would pass, he knew. Instead, he focused on their talk.

And what a talk it had been.

He really needed to get to a library. Much of what the Kyūbi had said, the demon freely admitted could be lies. He suggested that Naruto prove him wrong, believe what he wanted to, and go from there.

Then again, if he could verify that kitsune were bound by their oaths... then that would clear up much. However, that would be very, very hard to find out, considering his already near-pariah status, and that it seemed everyone already knew of his bound passenger... inquiring about fox spirits would likely not be taken well. Now that he knew, it made much more sense, the things he'd heard and dealt with.

He had a very powerful, very dangerous, and by his observation, very intelligent demon trapped inside him. All the things he'd learned, which honestly wasn't much but enough nonetheless, told him the Kyūbi was a cataclysm given form. A force of nature, that could not be stood against. Death on fiery winds. It had arrived unannounced at Konoha suddenly, and began to destroy – and that was all. People had died, homes lost, families eradicated... but for all that, Naruto couldn't sit back and empathize.

The Kyūbi had been an enemy. The enemy was defeated. Shinobi understood this, and now only saw him as himself. They were aware of his passenger, and took it into consideration. However, the civilians didn't understand such things. All they knew, was that their adored leader died to turn the Kyūbi into a little boy, because what else could they be told? They weren't bound by the duty and lashes of secrecy of the ninja that protected them.

But... seriously, were all those civilians stupid? He knew they taught history in the Academy. Eventually he'd have found the pieces of the puzzle himself.

If he was truly a demon – especially if he was the Nine-tails – it was just fucking stupid to taunt and antagonize him.

If he was just a little boy, then he didn't deserve the treatment he got.

Seriously, you can't have it both ways.

Yeah, the fox pretty much had humanity pegged, he admitted. Dumb as a box of rocks.

At least the ninja of Konoha seemed less... biased. Yes, that was a good word. Still, they were distant. Wary. Naruto considered that, as he looked over the room he was currently resting in. If they knew of the Seal, or the general situation, then the 'waiting on the bomb to go off' mentality held true. The fox had pointed out that the Seal was massively complex, and had parts and functions that only years of study managed to reveal.

Eyes finally finished with their sweep, Naruto sighed. A hospital. Great. It was when he tried to sit up that he recalled why he was there in the first place. Pain lanced out of of the back of his neck, radiating in sick waves through his body, resonating with his spine. "...son of a bitch."

"I see someone's awake."

Starting badly and further exacerbating the ache in his neck, Naruto glared at the smirking, if openly concerned face of the Hokage. "Yeah, well... not for lack of someone trying to make my nap permanent."

Sarutobi winced, having hoped the doctor's mention of possible memory loss to be a more certain thing. People didn't often return from the brink of death, without something being lost, after all. It was unfortunate, but obviously unavoidable as well. "That is... true."

"Why'd he do it?"

"Straight to the point as always," the old man noted with a fond grin. "We believe he was a member of a compromised sub-sect of the ANBU. With his openly treasonous actions, I managed to route out any other agents, currently in play." Naruto blinked, suppressing a shudder. ANBU. He was always surrounded by ANBU... As if reading his concerns, the Hokage continued. "Do no worry. None of your... minders have been or were compromised. They are hand picked by me."

It was a pale assurance, but Naruto nodded. "So. They didn't want me leaving Konoha, then."

His lips thinned, the Hokage nodded. "I suppose not."

Somehow, the boy knew the Kyūbi was involved in the why of the ninja's actions. That was easy, now. What else was unique about him, to single him out so? Naruto had been warned by the same, not to reveal his knowledge of the fox however. It would only complicate things. He didn't understand how, if everyone else knew, but let it go for the moment. If he wanted to, he could drop that anytime. Maybe the next time someone was being particularly cruel... But then, he'd have to answer where he learned of the secret. That would be a problem. If anything, it would be worse to admit he'd spoken to the Nine-tails, though if he turned the knowledge against someone from the village...

"Naruto-kun?"

Snapping back from his introspection, the blonde blinked up at the older ninja. "Huh? Yeah? Sorry, zoned out there."

Chuckling, the Hokage nodded. "Understandable. I was just saying that you needn't worry on such a thing happening again."

Naruto raised a brow, lip quirked in a slight grin. "Is that so...?"

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, the Hokage harrumphed. "Within reason. I know you wish to understand the cause for the civilian's coldness – in fact I owe it to you, to tell you. But trust me here, if in nothing else, Naruto-kun," the old man asked, grave and quiet. "Wait. Don't push too hard, too quickly into that knowing. For once you know something, you cannot simply forget. I keep that secret in hope that the burden of knowing will not weigh you down too much, too soon."

Rising, the Hokage left without another word. He missed the slitted glare Naruto shot at his back, and the hissed exhale of breath a minute later. "Yeah. I'd have liked to know why I was hated my whole life, but then, knowing or not, it won't change." Scoffing, the blonde laid back and closed his eyes. "Hope," the blonde mused. "Just another four-letter word."

–

If anyone was worried about Naruto's adjustment after 'The Incident', it was never shown. No details were released, no names, no notices. He saw no difference in the ANBU, how they acted, or their number.

Naruto imagined that if he'd woken up not remembering, the Hokage would have patted him on the head, told him a flu had gone around, and suggested he drink more juice before leaving. Maybe it said something about his maturing mindset that he didn't get angry about such a thing, but rather just understood it, without much fuss. He lied to the world – it wasn't such a big stretch to now understand the world lied right back.

The Academy enrollment happened without his notice, attention, or direct consent. Again, he took it in stride, partially from his own curiosity, partially from the suggestion of the Kyūbi. It was a little irritating to have his life boiled down in essence to a soap opera for an immensely powerful being, but then again, the fox gave good advice.

Number one on that list, was learning about the pathetically non-detailed skill scroll that Naruto had found on his table, the day after he was released. "Henge, basic Academy Instruction," he read off, brow raised. "So, he didn't forget."

That night, he and the fox had torn the scroll apart in study. "This is garbage," the kitsune declared after barely a glance. "A weak illusion. Unsuitable for even kits."

Considering that, Naruto actually agreed. "They use it for training at the Academy. It's not even a D-rank." The demon's nonplussed gaze stalled him. "Oh. I mean it has no ranking, officially. No threat level, or real difficulty. It's useful, but I guess I thought it was something more..."

"Ah," the spirit beast mumbled. "So, any human with chakra could do it."

Naruto hummed slightly. "Supposedly. It is just a personal-range low drain sensory illusion. Well that's what it claims to be. Though," frowning, the blonde threw the scroll away from him, heedless of the puddle it landed in. Mental construct here, it wasn't 'real'. "For what I wanted, I don't think it'll work, now."

There was a throaty chuckle from behind the Seal. "Oh, but you give up too quickly," the kitsune all but purred. "From any failure, rest the seeds of victory. Let us see what results come, before judging."

–

Later that week a flurry of activity overtook the abandoned – though not really – apartment building that had been taken off the demolition list just a few weeks prior. It wasn't much, because frankly, Naruto didn't know how to budget, where to get supplies, and was still just a kid, but he worked on what he could.

His modified Henge let him get into the library, and from there, it was all study and application. Though he hated working out of books, he hated cold showers more. A couple dozen how-to books, some scrolls that outlined typical Konoha architecture, and a few others just in case all sat in the most secure parts of the apartment, all checked out under different Henge identities, to avoid borrowing limits.

This month, he'd hit the hot water heater, and do some rewiring to make things less unstable. Next month, he'd work on walls maybe, or windows. There were gaps and drafts, but it was still summer. He had time to work on those things. And it would take time. He wasn't strong, or very quick, being so young.

In time he could somewhat change that... but not yet. He was still learning the nuances of his new skill, and finding ways to use it to his advantage.

He'd taken some time to observe people around him over his few years, during those moments where he'd been too hurt to really respond, or too scared by hateful looks to really venture out openly. And, though he was young and not really wise, Naruto wasn't a fool.

The dynamic and distribution of genders among ninja and civilian were very biased. There weren't as many kunoichi, and those that ran businesses tended to be male. He could easy trace this back to the fact that Konoha was technically a very complicated and somewhat self-sufficient military complex-made-city. Maybe it said something about their society, but there were two to three times as many men as women in Konoha.

Seeing that, Naruto's first order of business was to craft his alter-ego. The go-between, between him and the rest of the village. He chose a female for various reasons, partly because of the gender bias, partly for how it seemed shopkeepers and other people treated women, but also because frankly, it didn't seem like something anyone would do, just to hide and shop. Disguise himself as a man? Yes. Shapeshift wholly into a female? Not so much.

Not that it was easy. Oh, actually it was-

Entirely too easy. He wanted to be female? Mold some chakra, get an image in mind, release with intent and BAM. No more boy bits. Old? Wrinkles were just as easy. Anything and everything, and really, with a magazine from a shop, everything was literal.

That did not, however, mean he knew what to do with himself. He was still, inside whatever skull he fashioned in his shifting, a young boy. That proved almost dangerously awkward, when it came to dealing with unfamiliar innuendo and suggestion, when he was in a mid-teenage form. Remedying that lead Naruto to seeking out his neighbors, and the foundation for what would later become not only his chosen path, but also his career.

It was just strange luck that his nearest actual neighbor ran a brothel.

–

It was either a testament to the Sandaime's faith in the people of Konoha, or his utter lack of suspicion despite the almost overwhelming tide of pleas against the boy, that Naruto managed to remain almost wholly independent for the next six years. Despite his sudden change in living location and conditions, the youth survived rather well.

As it turned out, his neighbors were very accommodating. Not in that way – not to him anyway – but they were understanding and helpful, and even offered to give him tips about things he'd never knew he lacked. Or, as the case happened, she lacked.

Naruko as it turned out, was a favorite around the house of ill repute, though Naruto's male self was just as welcome. It was more a situation of 'girls can teach' for his female persona's sake, than anything. And taught they did.

To the point that Naruto, freely admitting it and not arguing a bit, went just a little insane.

Perhaps it was awareness to non-gender limited sexuality at an age where normally that kind of exposure would be criminal (luckily, Naruko didn't really exist legally), the stress of learning two completely different gender roles, or the knowledge from a few kunoichi there that such a talent would be terribly useful, but Naruto continued on, despite the strangeness of his situation. As often as not, he could be found at home in either guise, and the peculiarity only began there.

Naruko ended up, after a small while, progressively getting older. It helped ease shopping, getting around Academy and civilian school truancy questions, inquiries on her family, and the women at the brothel relaxed when the lolicons stopped looking at her like a side of meat.

There was a brief period where Naruto entertained the idea of dropping his advanced Henge just to mess with them, but then he was reminded by one of the older girls that it may not actually help him to do so.

Best not consider the implications, he knew.

The biggest surprise, to any outsider at least, was that he learned an astounding amount about actually being a ninja from the situation. It was like there was some unspoken rule, that whatever little tidbit of odd information a kunoichi could pass along got shared. That too got addressed, as Naruko had wondered, early on, why there were so many female ninja at a brothel.

Her answers weren't terribly comforting, and yet another layer of innocence was ripped away.

There were some things the Academy could not teach prospective Genin, either for some misplaced idea of morals, or because of legal limitations levied by the Daimyo, on potentially inhuman conditioning and practices. Misplaced, because it would have been kinder to inform prospective kunoichi of their potential obligations before signing their lives over to a military body that executes for gross insubordination.

Yes, the Hokage or a commanding officer could in fact order a kunoichi under their command to infiltrate, seduce, and kill a target, and it was wholly legal. And by the same rules that kept mission details secret to avoid political fallout between nations, those same truths never filtered down to little girls, playing with toy kunai and idolizing people like Tsunade.

It did however reach Naruko, and by her proxy, the Kyūbi.

–

"What's the problem?"

Naruto's eyes bugged out slightly. "What's the problem? I'm not really a girl!" Fuming and stomping around angrily, the blonde boy tugged at his hair. "I mean sure! I've gotten into this ninja idea. I understand the things you've told me. I agree with the things you've told me-"

There was a blast of air, smelling of ash. The Nine-tails was actually surprised, which shouldn't, it was beginning to realize, be such an uncommon thing. Naruto had been adamant about giving up his ambition on being a ninja and Hokage after the attempted murder, but during a rather long argument, they'd come to terms. Perhaps not Hokage, but a ninja still, yes. The Kyūbi argued that he would need to learn how to fight, to see the subtleties in the world around him, and most importantly, how to win. To do that, the best possibility was for him to continue. It was just news to the massive demon that he actually agreed. "You do?"

The blonde's mouth worked silently a moment from the interruption. "Yeah. Forgot to mention that."

"Damn it! A little communication isn't too much to ask, considering we take up the same physical space!"

"So I forget that just because you're in my head, you don't get to hear everything! I'm not a genius! Hell, I'm still just a kid!" A strange thought picked that moment to cross the youth's mind, and halted his tirade cold. "Huh, you know, I never asked... how old are you anyway?"

There was an affronted sniff from the cage. "You aren't allowed to ask me that."

Naruto gawked. That was precisely the answer he'd received from one of the 'older' ladies at the house of ill repute Naruko sometimes visited, helping with minor things... "Y-You sound like a girl."

The accusation went unanswered. "So. Are you going to accept their... training? They promised to not cross any boundaries you set. And," the beast pointed out smugly, "This is the perfect training for someone like you, who has already determined their strengths and abilities."

What really irked Naruto was the Kyūbi was right. It still unnerved him that the massive chakra demon stuffed into his head could be a girl, and avoiding the question like that just made him more sure of it. It made his talent with shapeshifting that the demon was speaking of just that much more peculiar. "That's your fault, isn't it?"

"Be a bit less vague, if you want an answer," the Kyūbi sniped, lazing so only one massive eye faced him. "But if you are implying your talent in shifting forms, then yes. Like your health, strength, and senses, those are my 'gifts'."

Naruto didn't miss the venomous emphasis put on the last word. "So. The Seal is doing what you said. Slowly changing me into something like you."

With a massive sigh, the fox demon regarded its jailor without expression. "Like me? Only in your fondest wishes. I have only a vague understanding of when the Seal will fail. Or, if it will at all," there was the distinct feeling of a shrug. "Perhaps it has a fail-safe to prevent its own failed execution. Perhaps it is not as complex as I feared, and there will be an equilibrium reached." The Kyūbi, seeming to reach some obscure conclusion, laughed loudly.

"What? What's funny?"

"Nothing, boy," the monster sighed again. "Just... go. And think about your own goals, and what best suits them."

–

It took a few months for Naruto to really sort out his thoughts on things. The Kyūbi's comment on goals shook him, however. Of all the things the two spoke on, the most delicate subject was his own state, that being the container for the demon. Those fruitless talks lead him to doing a lot of research on demons, and subsequently, what the element nations had decided to label 'Bijū'. He honestly thought it was a bit of a stupid name to hang around the necks of the most powerful demons known, but then again, he wasn't in administration.

Tailed Beasts were known to roam, or in most cases claim territories similar to their elemental or spiritual nature. They weren't always around, flickering in and out of Yōmi seemingly at will, and even if defeated, would return later. Usually very, very angry. There were lots of records he found of destroyed villages, cities, capitals, and even small nations that had come under a Bijū's ire.

Like most demons, their motives were hard to understand. The amount of raw power and destruction they could cause was immense, and due to that, some of the weaker ones had been sought out to be used as weapons. At the time, Hidden Villages weren't a mainstay to the balance of power within the Element Nations. Instead, there were the Temples, and their monks, and the Daimyo's military forces, but ninja were a rarity. This made very early records hard to find, since those same sources didn't like to share. Eventually, sealing techniques and contracts had been made, but as with any thing with its own will, there was never a certainty that the Bijū would cooperate.

Until Hashirama Senju had the ill luck to fight one, and showed the world the power of his bloodline. Hashirama possessed Mokuton, the dual-nature affinity for plants and trees, "Wood release" as some called it. There was, however, another aspect to that combined nature, that was outside of what was expected.

No other observed dual-nature was alive. By all rights, his shouldn't be either.

What Hashirama possessed wasn't some miracle bloodline counter to demonkind. No, counter to what was written the Kyūbi informed Naruto, citing first-hand experience, what the difference was more the man, and less his elemental affinity.

"Much like Yōmi's power is poisonous in raw form to humans, in the form of yōki or demon chakra, so is the true essence of this world potent against us. That Senju brat was quite the trickster. As much as I hate to admit it, I respected him for being so subtle."

Naruto puzzled over that, then shook his head. "So... it wasn't just Mokuton?"

The Kyūbi sniffed disdainfully. "Hardly. No matter what combination you use, if you combine earth and water chakra, life will not spontaneously happen. He weaved them within a matrix of natural energy, the very stuff of this plane." The demon fox got a wicked gleam in her eye. "In a way, he was as much a match to me as any. Pity I was beholden to his opponent."

That confused the young blonde further, but he didn't dwell on it. "So, after he figured that out, he decided to seal all the Bijū?"

Cruel laughter echoed out of the cage. "All? Hardly. Only those foolish enough to linger, or bored enough to allow it. Never forget, Naruto, history is written by those who care to pen it, or who are left alive after the battle. Demons like myself have no care for the opinions of mortals or their history."

All the talk of Mokuton didn't distract him from what he meant to ask, however. "But, according to this, Hashirama sealed the Bijū he found, then gave them to other Nations. What happened with them then?"

There was a long pause, before the kitsune responded. "Kid, you ask hard questions. Alright. History may be the realm of the victors, but shame rests with those defeated. Those Bijū, like me, were sealed into people."

Naruto's brow furrowed in thought. "But it's been... no one could live that long."

"There are ways," the demon's tone indicated a shrug. "But likely those who took over watching those demons learned to seal them, again and again, from host to host. It would not do to lose such a weapon, after all."

The blonde's fist clenched in anger. "So. We're commodities. Weapons."

"Jinchūriki." The Kyūbi stood again, glaring down at the seal. "Human sacrifices. Oh, a powerful, functional, complete Seal would take a life to fashion. Like mine. But no, that sacrifice spoken of is you. Is them. You pay the price. You suffer. What is death, compared to the fear and hatred you bear, and will likely bear for a lifetime? Your sacrifice is having to live."

"They won't always hate me," the boy shot back. "I'll make them respect me!" Images of the Sandaime came to mind, then, thinking on who the village paid the most honor to. "I'll become Hokage!"

More laughter boomed from the cage. "That old ambition, now? Hokage? Leader of the village?" Naruto expected the beast to deny his claim, but instead it again shrugged. "Perhaps. But will they make you leader because of your accomplishments, or out of fear of how you made them?"

That brought him up short. "You... you have a point."

"You will always carry the stigma of what you are," the fox replied in a quiet, intense voice. "Yet, who you are is more important. That can change. That you have control of."

"I don't understand."

The Kyūbi snorted. "I am not surprised. A hint, then." And the Kyūbi changed.

He really shouldn't have been surprised. After all, he did inherit his shapeshifting from... her. And in the form she'd taken, Kyūbi was very much a 'her'. Long strawberry blonde hair, pulled back at the nape of her neck and flowing to her waist, slim limbed and petite, with a nice but not exaggerated figure. She wore what looked like an archaic yukata, layered in various reds, the top a deep crimson that bore embroidery that flowed like flames in high wind.

What stalled him most, however, was the face. It was a mature, fine-boned and mischievous mirror of his own as Naruko, only lacking the whiskers but with a pair of rather fox-ish ears atop her head. "What I am," her voice purred out, "didn't change. Who I am? I could be..." she spun in place a moment, or simply blurred from some kitsune skill. "You?" Naruto looked at a copy of himself. "The Hokage." Sarutobi stare back at him, gravely. "That little girl who chases you around." A small girl, with wide white eyes regarded him bashfully. The Kyūbi returned to 'her' human form. "I am always Kyūbi. As you are always Naruto. Does that mean who you are doesn't change?" She shrugged. "Your mind becomes more like mine as time passes. To me, gender isn't a static thing, a constant. I am, what I am. Who I am, that is for me alone to decide."

Naruto nodded, understanding the fox's words. "Yeah. I get it. But," his expression clouded. "What about the others? Like me?"

"What of them indeed?"

–

"Oh, hi Naruko-chan!"

The blonde in question waved a hand, the other carrying a few floral-marked bags. "Afternoon, Rieshu-sempai. Everyone's so busy, what's going on?"

The woman who'd greeted Naruko grinned. "Didn't you hear? The Daimyo's March is today. It's one of the busiest days for escorts in Konoha."

Naruko blinked. "Oh, that thing where the Fire Court has a parade through town, with the monks and samurai?"

Rieshu nodded happily. "Yes! It's so exciting! We so rarely get to see such things, so cooped up as we are here."

"Hah, yeah I suppose," Naruko agreed nervously. It was true, she'd just never thought about it that way. Ninja in the village didn't show off their abilities like the parades managed. "So, are you going?"

"Of course," the brunette chirped. "Tayuu-dono has decided you need an escort too," at that, Naruko paled, and began looking for an exit. "Oh, no! No running away! Sakai-dono will be so cross with me!"

A wince crossed the sometimes-girl's face. "Right..." She cursed the woman that ran the small brothel and the surrounding tea and entertainment houses. Crafty, she was. "So, why you?"

Rieshu frowned, looking crestfallen. "What? Don't you like spending time with your Onee-san?"

Naruko had to admit, she was good. Ending the question with a chirping lilt however ruined the pout somewhat, however. "I give that one an eight."

"Mou... I was trying so hard too."

Laughing, the blonde took the other girl's elbow. "Don't stress on it. You're a ninja, these things take some time." Waving expansively, Naruko gestured to the street and its decorations. "I've lived near here for years. Plus, I only have a few other things to distract me. You've got missions, and training, and your team." The girl shrugged. "But, really. Why you?"

Her ninja friend hummed, dropping the cute persona like a mask. "I think she wanted someone who was more in the know to come with you. In case you had questions."

Naruko frowned, nodding. It did always seem like the Tayuu had some little plan for when she was around, always helping to explain things, and going out of her way to accommodate the Jinchūriki. She even knew about Naruko's 'real' self, and helped keep things straight with the other girls around. Naruko knew that if they found out she was really a he, and which one in particular, all the good will around would likely dry up.

Not because he was a Jinchūriki, but because he was male, and too young by some measure. Some places Naruto was welcome... but irony showed its hand in where he felt most comfortable. And Naruko valued that little island of security and safety way too much to risk it.

They slipped into rather flashy but comfortable festival attire, each working to compliment the other as they'd been trained. It irked Naruko a bit to realize she made a better tea girl than ninja, at this point. Still, Naruto's time in the Academy hadn't been very... useful, so far.

The same accommodation Naruko received from the Tayuu and those under her, was not extended to Naruto from his instructors. In reality, he owed people like Rieshu a lot for the little tips and tricks they taught his alter-ego, otherwise he'd be so abysmally far behind he'd likely never graduate, or do so as the last of his year. It actually seemed to annoy his instructors quite a lot that he did so well, in fact.

It wasn't a day for that kind of thinking, though. Rieshu and Naruko had a lot of fun out at the festival, the Daimyo's March planned for that evening so that the samurai had time for their drills, and the monks could welcome in the night with a display of pyrotechnics. The Fire Court itself would be there, the Daimyo as part of the parade. After, there would be fireworks and a feast. It was a rather big day.

Each of the Element Nations had their own temple, she knew. It worked in the fine balancing act between military forces, and to counter others. Each of the Nations took their name from the Temple they hosted, so it was no surprise that the Fire Temple monks were absolute masters of the fire element.

Though, that did raise a question from the sometimes-girl. "Why don't the monks train to be ninja, if they're so gifted with ninjutsu?"

Rieshu spared her a wry smile. "Well, Naru-chan, that's easy." The kunoichi leaned in as if sharing a secret. "They don't use ninjutsu."

Brow raised, the blonde regarded the huge clouds of fire blasting up into the sky, the ribbons of flame flowing between two of the saffron-robed men, and another who seemed to be using a living blaze as a sparring partner. "You could have fooled me."

Her companion chuckled. "No, this isn't ninjutsu. Pure spiritual force." Walking the blonde away from the display, Rieshu continued in her normal voice. "The Temple monks use their spiritual energy to manifest and control fire. They don't use handseals, and don't mold chakra as we do." Shrugging, she continued down the street. "In a way, samurai are the same."

"How so?"

"Other side of the coin," the ninja replied. "They focus on pure physical energy. Reinforcing their limbs, their speed, their endurance. Hardly any ninja stands a chance against a trained samurai, just as no monk stands a chance against a ninja." Stretching a moment, Rieshu yawned. It had been a long day. "Monks would turn seasoned samurai into so much charred meat. So, the Daimyo never really worries on such things as revolts, or one of his military leaders, like the Hokage, becoming too powerful."

"I see," Naruko mumbled. It was a view on the world she wasn't aware of before. Though, it did make sense why the Fire Lord had samurai, when ninja were around. "So, if monks use spiritual energy, and samurai physical, what do we do?"

"Ninja," Rieshu noted, as they strolled back to the Tayuu's domain, "combine both. We aren't as strong physically, or as spiritually attuned, but we can use both to achieve more varied results. Monks can fight, sure, but not nearly on our level. Samurai focus all their energy inward, and though we use the same skills to reinforce ourselves, they are true masters. We try to balance them. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, just two sides of things."

Naruko considered that and nodded, somewhat distracted. "I see..." In truth, her mind was racing. Monks could call and use their element with just spiritual power, it seemed. Well, there wasn't someone with more 'spirit' in them than her.

She'd have to talk to the Kyūbi about that sometime.

–

It was the day after the Daimyo's March, and Naruko was sitting, playing a passage from a tune over and over on her shamisen. The stringed instrument was an interesting thing, and though she enjoyed it for its own sake, it offered an interesting way to practice more than one skill at once.

Naruko hovered her hand over the strings, not quite touching as her other hand plied the wide pick used with the instrument. Chakra flowed from her fingers, pushing, pulling, sliding along the strings as she played, sharpening notes, slurring others, reacting faster than her fingers could. That on its own wasn't terribly taxing, but to do so while maintaining the actual tune became not only good chakra exercise, but also helped sharpen her focus and ability to multitask.

The song itself wasn't very complex. It wasn't very long, but rather intricate, and hard to follow. Each repeat became a bit more fluid, a little more controlled, and she added a few more seconds to the tune each time. She had been working on it in the afternoons, once the Academy was over for the day. It proved to be a rather nice way to wind down, and burn off chakra to help relax.

"Naruko."

The blonde looked up in surprise, seeing the Tayuu herself standing in the doorway to the little room. She was in her evening attire, a simple yukata, lightly fastened about her hips with a narrow obi. Her weight was balanced on one foot, the other turned, forcing one hip out in an openly flirtatious manner. Despite her brazen sensuality, the woman's face carried an imperiousness that would not be ignored. Etiquette rules snapped to the forefront of Naruko's mind the instant she took in the woman's appearance, and she bowed low, lowering the long-necked instrument. "Good evening, Tayuu-dono."

A wry smile bent the woman's full lips. "Very good. No hesitation that time, and you have the depth of your bow correct." She clapped lazily, the fingers of one hand sounding against a palm, so as not to disturb the long, thin pipe there. "I see your practice goes well?"

Naruko nodded nervously. Sure, as Naruto he could go before the Hokage and joke and bluster around, but something about this woman just intimidated her. Maybe it was that she was female, or that she held her 'normal' life in her hands, but the end result was that Naruko always felt like a bundle of nerves around her. "Yes. I've been working on this for some time, since I've finished all the training you set out for me with the fan."

The Tayuu nodded, humming slightly. After a moment, she slipped into the doorway, sitting across from the blonde girl. "I have a question for you."

Naruko simply tilted her head curiously.

"Rie-chan went with you to the festival, yes? You were able to see the Daimyo's samurai and monks?" When her companion nodded, she continued, "Then, my question, simple as it is, is this.

"What is a ninja, and what role do they fill within the Element Nations?"

Without another word, the woman stood and leaned forward, laying a light kiss on the blonde's forehead.

As the one woman left, another entered. "So, how is my cute little Nee-chan?"

Naruko rolled her eyes at Rieshu. "I'm fine, Rie-sempai. Just thinking over what Sakai-dono wanted me to do."

Rieshu hummed lightly, taking a scroll and brush set from the set of small drawers set against a wall. Setting them before the blonde girl, she too sat down at the low table. "Well. Lets start simple."

"Alright."

"The Academy tells us that ninja and Hidden Villages are the true military power in the Element Nations. This is a lie." The kunoichi was amused to see the fair-haired girl start badly. "If the Daimyo desired, he could send his samurai abroad, and utterly crush nearly any uprising."

Naruko's mouth worked silently a moment, "But... then...?"

Reishu held up a hand. "They do not, because to expose their power so blatantly would be too tempting to strike at it. In a very real way, blatant power is the best power to have, and never use. It is subtle power that is always in action, always in motion." She noted Naruko's confusion, and continued. "An example. Fire Country is invaded by Lightning's samurai. What should the Fire Daimyo do?"

Thinking a moment, Naruko hesitantly replied. "Mobilize the Fire Temple?"

"And expose the monks to the ninja, shadowing the samurai?" The kunoichi grinned at the blonde's sudden frown. "This is why war is complex, and not merely a case of Jankenpon. The Element Nations balance power in a delicate way, through trade, economics, military power, alliances, allowances for bandits and mercenaries along their borders, spies, and then, us.

"Ninja are subtle enough to move without resistance," Rieshu pointed out. "Five ninja can cause utter havoc in a foreign capitol – perhaps even removing the head of government there. How many samurai or monks would that take?"

Naruko nodded, understanding. "So, ninja are the active military. We're assigned to do missions locally and abroad, as training?"

Rieshu nodded. "Partly. It's also economics, and power balancing for trade. The more a province feels loyal to one Nation, the more likely they are to identify with them. More borders are redrawn by subtle kindness, than open war in this world."

The kunoichi continued, "We are the face power has, to the common people. They do not see the samurai, because the Daimyo keeps them close to home. The monks are spoken of in reverence, but not seen openly. We, however, are there when they look. Hidden Villages, small ninja enclaves, and even missing ninja are all the face of their native Nation. What they see us do, reflects on our homes. That is the role ninja play in our world."

Naruko was silent as she considered that, taking in her sempai's words. Smiling, Rieshu took out her brush set, and teased the younger girl about her still-rough penmanship. "Better. Keep practicing the delicate strokes." She pointed at a smear, near the bottom of a scroll. "And keep your sleeves tucked back. You'll ruin more than your poetry," she teased.

Continuing on, she took out a brush, and scribed two words. Naruko was glad that part of her lessons here included better reading, or her grasp of kanji would still be horrible. Even if she sometimes forgot the small things, like yukata sleeves.

Still, it was somewhat confusing. "You wrote ninja twice."

The other woman smiled in a mischievous way. "Did I? Let's see.

"This form you know," she pointed out, indicated the two complex characters. "In essence, tell me the meaning of each, and what they represent."

Naruko glanced at the brushstrokes and shrugged. "The first means 'to endure'. The second is a modifier. One who does something."

"So," Rieshu noted, "One who endures. That's fairly apt." She tapped the simple form of the word. "'Nin', on its own, can also be used as a counter for people." She smiled wryly. "It also means duty."

The blonde sat back, regarding the scroll with half-lidded eyes. "That's... a lot of meaning for so small a word."

Rieshu smirked. "It gets better. Lets try this next." She scribed out the simple three kanji that made up the word 'kunoichi'. "Simple, yes?" Naruko nodded. "Look at this now." She then penned the kanji for 'woman'. "See something interesting?"

Naruko blinked. "The three kanji for kunoichi are very simple. They're... also the same brushstrokes for woman. Like it was broken apart."

"It is a lesson most kunoichi take years to understand," Rieshu noted distantly. "That we are 'broken women', but nonetheless, women." Understanding the implications considering all she'd learned about a woman's role in ninja society, Naruko quieted. Both sat quietly for a moment, until Rieshu broke it with a small hum. "Mm, next lesson. Shinobi."

Naruko took the brush, and following the older kunoichi's example, scribed the word in two forms. "The first one, the kanji form is easy. It's 'Nin' again. Together though, it means stealth."

"Ah, but you forget the literal meaning of that one last part," Rieshu pointed out. "Beauty. Beauty in duty. Beauty in enduring, forbearance." Tapping the second form, she carefully pronounced it, rather as a sentence, not a word, "Shi no Bi. Beautiful death."

Stunned, Naruko simply regarded the scroll woodenly. "I had no idea it was so... complicated."

Rieshu reached across the table, taking the other girl's hand. "It isn't, really. Language is an art, much like the shamisen, the tessen – your fan – and ninjutsu as a whole. Not the chakra techniques, but the skill of being a ninja." She paused, to emphasize her point. "We are deadly art."

That simple conversation would change Naruto's life forever.

–

"I would like to hire you for an S-rank mission."

Rieshu's laughter pealed around the room, her hands around the small red crane she'd leave on Naruko's table later. "Why, when I won't be around to spend the fee? Oh I'll do it, of course..." Her hand lazed forward, fisting in the Tayuu's yukata. "But don't you dare let her down."

There was a pause, and a small, delicate hand reached up, wrapping around the kunoichi's not to displace it, but simply to hold. "You know I will not."

Her emotions betrayed her, then, as Rieshu's eyes grew misty. "Damn it. How could I let a kid get to me like this? You know this is going to kill her inside. Why risk making her like me, so soon?"

Sakai shook her head slowly. When she replied, they both knew why she ignored the first question, "She is stronger. This will simply harden her not to life, but to those things that she needs find abhorrent."

"And you decide these things."

She met Rieshu's accusation directly. "We have both decided. Me, by my actions, and you, by your scars."

"Yeah," the woman replied, slumping where she sat. "You... yeah." The hardened kunoichi sniffed back her tears once. "Then a toast. To bringing value back to a valued life."

The Tayuu lifted her small bowl of sake. "To life."

–

It was a few days after her brief visit from the Tayuu that Naruko found herself using the tricks she'd learned in youth to slip her minders, and return to the red light district. The Academy was abuzz with news of a captured traitor, and the students were being held overnight for more remedial lessons. It had happened before, and though it was technically required she remain, she had slipped off using her shifting ability to simply not be Naruto once out of sight. She wouldn't have made such a chancy move if not for direct orders, not a request, from Tayuu Sakai to be present that night.

There was some work involved, but she managed to slip the ANBU watch, and arrive undetected. Waiting for her, though not impatiently, was the Tayuu. Naruko actually didn't think the woman could be impatient – it seemed almost anathema to her nature. "I see you have arrived, this is good."

"Tayuu-dono," the blonde greeted, bowing low. "It was... not easy."

The older woman hummed a moment. "I suppose not." Something seemed to distract the woman for a moment, and she sighed. "We have something unpleasant to do tonight, little one."

Naruko was shocked. Tsuyu Sakai was many things – elegant, poised, collected, beautiful, graceful, but never negative. It was something she trained out of her own yūjo, those women who worked in her houses. They were a source of comfort, of peace, of joy. Being such, they kept what emotions that could dim those goals to themselves, hidden away. When they were seen, and to be seen is to be public, the 'self' was killed. They were a role.

Tsuyu just dropped her mask, and it scared Naruko nearly senseless. "Wh-what's going on?"

"We will be seeing Rieshu-san tonight," the woman answered in a distracted manner. "I understand you've been asking for her."

The blonde girl nodded slowly, taking out her fan to mask her unease. Something wasn't right. "Yes. I had hoped to see her. She's been a great help to me."

"She has, this is true," the woman noted with some gravity. Shaking off her melancholy, the Tayuu returned, her mask back in place. "Your kimono is ready. Please, be ready as soon as you can."

Naruko blinked, but did as she was asked. Normally, simple yukata were sufficient when going about. A full kimono meant it was an official affair of some sort. Finding her room easily enough, as she had one set aside here for such things, her blue eyes widened.

"Black..." feeling a spike of dread crawl down her spine, Naruko, with shaking hands, began to dress.

Half an hour later, she and the Tayuu were standing side by side, ready to leave the safety of Konoha's darker side. Unlike the previous outing with Rieshu, they matched in somber tones, with no embellishment. The Tayuu was without gilding entirely, which was unusual, and Naruko mirrored her in this. The streets were bustling with angry mutters, and there was more than one small fight that broke out as they walked, closer to the city's center. Whatever had happened, had left a very dark pall across the city. Naruko recalled the last time something of this sort happening, and paled. She hoped nothing as massive and wide-reaching as the Uchiha Massacre had happened, again.

The apparent teenager had nearly turned and bolted, if not for the rather firm grip that the Tayuu had on her elbow. "Naruko. Naruko!"

Shaking her head, he blonde nearly sobbed. "I know something bad's going on. I don't want-"

She was silenced by the older woman's palm, striking her cheek. It stung, and served to shock the blonde quiet. "You have to see this. Now, do not dishonor your teachers. You are one of mine, act like it."

Swallowing her fear, Naruko nodded, blinking away tears. "Yes, Tayuu-dono," she replied faintly, regaining her bearings. She walked with the woman at her side, who held her in a faint if firm grip, but her eyes were distant, empty.

At the city center they took a position near an empty food stall, the owners either absent, bankrupt, or simply uncaring. If they wished, they could have slipped inside the small closet-sized space. Instead, they leaned against it, Naruko playing silent shadow to the Tayuu's brightness. Many came to greet the woman, and the blonde was glad then that she had picked a place so distant. Many also asked what she was doing there, at so grim a gathering.

She merely answered each inquiry of the like with a quiet, "Life is many things. This is one of them."

None probed further. Naruko tried to wrap herself in the silence that their distance from the crowed afforded, but it seemed each time she tried, the Tayuu pulled her attention back to the present. The mob was a milling mass of noise and anger, something she was familiar with intimately, and it worried her. Almost always before such a thing had been focused on her, and to be so close made her very nervous.

It wasn't much past afternoon when the portion of the crowd near the Hokage Tower quieted, and a number of people could be seen making their way to stand on the raised platform there. She'd never seen it before, and had to assume it was specifically for today. Her eyes widened in surprise to see the Hokage there, however, and only grew more confused as he spoke. "Citizens and servants of Konoha. I stand before you today to address what, to a ninja, is the most grave of crimes..."

Naruko watched in mute horror as a tale of deception and betrayal was laid out. The one that stood by the Hokage had a hood on its face, but the blonde could easily, even at this distance, make out Rieshu's form and bearing, even if bent and broken. "Sakai..."

"Be still. Watch."

"Why must I," there was open pleading in the girl's voice.

Tayuu Sakai turned so her eyes were on the blonde, and she saw tears there as well. "Because she did this for your sake. Now," steeling herself, she stood behind Naruko, wrapping her arms around the shaking girl. "We honor what she did."

Naruko was shaken by the Tayuu's claim, but grew still and watched. She couldn't understand what the other woman meant, by this being for her sake. What had been? What was going on? Why was Rieshu involved?

The Hokage answered as he continued to speak. "Many of you know of the Nine-tailed fox." There was a roar of confirmation from the mob. "What many of you fail to realize, is that for safekeeping, the Fourth's Seal and his methods were noted by the Sannin Jiraya that tragic day." The old man paused, letting that sink in with the crowd. "In hopes that if the Seal he placed fails, for Konoha's sake it could be replaced, or used again in dire defense of the Will of Fire.

"Before you stands a traitor. She infiltrated the Secret Archives, and has destroyed those records." A wave of sound buffeted the square, filled with hate and fear and countless other emotions. "We, now, more than ever must honor the Fourth's sacrifice! No more with his legacy be ignored." Disgruntled murmuring sprang up, confusion apparent in the mob. "I speak of Uzumaki Naruto." There was a spattering of angry noise, but it was cut down like so much errant wheat. "Silence! I have been lenient. I will be so no longer." Dissent sputtered, dying out in horror as he continued, "Will you remain fools, and turn that which Konoha could wield at its enemies, at itself? Or will you finally understand the Yondaime's sacrifice, and give it the proper honor!?"

Sarutobi turned, grave and terrible toward his captive. Ripping the hood away, Rieshu's once-beautiful face stood out, a battlefield of wounds and evidence of interrogation. Naruko made to cry out but the Tayuu's hand clapped over her mouth, the other tightening around her waist. "Be still. There's not much left, little one, be still, it will all be over soon..."

Upon the executioner's platform, Rieshu smiled grimly at the old man. "Hokage-sama."

The man in question did not reply in kind. Only roared out his next words, more for the crowd's sake than her own battered hearing. "Do you have anything to say in final defense of your actions?"

The broken woman laughed once, bitterly. "Only that I would do it again, for her sake, her future," she called out loudly.

Naruko's eyes went wide with grief at the blatant claim as her knees gave out, and if not for the Tayuu she would have fallen there and then. As her eyes had widened, the Hokage's dimmed with confusion. "Then you leave me no choice," the man murmured.

Fire roared out over the platform, as the Hokage blew molten death at the woman, encasing her in a shroud of flame that would not be quenched by anything short of equal power. There were, however, no Kages there to save Rieshu. In the Tayuu's arms, Naruko suddenly went slack, wide-eyed and tearful as her friend died before her eyes, her form dark and silhouetted within the hungry flames. Rieshu didn't stumble, or fall to her knees, or cry out in pain. With a final flare of her own chakra, surprising as it seemed her bonds failed before she did, the woman pushed at the flame, feeding it, shaping it around herself into the form of the cranes she so loved to fold. Naruko cried bitterly, recalling the last one she'd seen the woman make. It was of a red and orange hued paper. The irony bit at her heart like angry snakes.

It was a terrible, but beautiful death.

–

Rieshu's execution proved a major shifting point in many lives, around Konoha. The impact spread like a shockwave, with the most influence being on the civilians. For years, they'd taken for granted the sacrifice of the Yondaime, figuring that though yes, he was a great shinobi, his skills weren't singular. Civilians were not informed on the technicalities of how ninja worked – it was anathema to the whole concept of Hidden Villages and security. Why make a secret public to the Village, then enforce shinobi secrecy statutes, when a civilian would crumble like dry bread before an interrogator?

So, much was not known to the general population of Konoha. So it was, that many didn't consider the fact that had Naruto actually been killed, he would release the demon within him. Now, that was brought into stark contrast, as not only were their eyes opened to this fact, but also that there was now no possible defense to that same demon remaining.

Ignorance breeds fear, and fear only feeds itself. It clouds the mind, and makes right thinking harder. To a Village already afraid of Naruto, when anger wasn't more prevalent, things only became more poignant. Oh, no one was outwardly hostile, but now the gazes were less resentful and hostile, as fearful and expectant.

He had transformed from the demon they could not understand, to one they had to, and as such, their fears, like their understanding, sharpened.

The ninja of Konoha changed little, but there was a grim expectation to them now, as if a doom had been given voice, and they could all see the hands of the clock ticking down. Most of Konoha's ninja knew of what happened, and they respected the boy for what he represented. In many ways, they were why he chose to be a ninja as well – his only true recognition coming from that portion of his environment.

Now however, the ninja of the Leaf walked on eggshells, wary and watching as the boy went about his daily life. It was, they had come to recently understand, just a matter of time now.

The Kyūbi would return. How long now depended on Naruto.

Naruto, despite every attempt to shield him, knew exactly what happened that day. It was, many started to realize, as if Reishu's execution had been planned, allowed, then displayed openly just for the boy.

And it had a great effect on him. No one knew why, but the usually outgoing and smiling Jinchūriki turned grim and serious almost overnight. It was like the light within him had been flicked off. Oh, he was still as enthusiastic about some things, but they tended on the more fringe aspects of his usual interests. His general behavior evened out drastically, and his focus became sharp. Too sharp for many of his more solid detractors, who then found themselves facing not a bashful, brash young boy, but a coldly hateful demon container.

Naruto summed up his opinions one day, facing down a smith who tried to pass off waste-metal materials for drastically inflated costs. There was no screaming match, no loud declarations. Just Naruto's cold voice, cutting through the gathered mob. "Hit me. Make me retaliate, drive me into a rage. Then, the council or whoever will put me to death – and then I'll watch from hell as the Kyūbi burns this Village to the bedrock."

Though he didn't approve, the Sandaime could do nothing. His hands were just as tied now as they had been before. He did, however, thank whatever gods were watching as the initial fallout lessened quickly.

Naruto calmed, and regained his usual self mostly within a few months. One could still see the depth of his mistrust in his eyes, and it was clear he was changed, but the rage and hurt were gone, for the most part.

Still, there were questions that needed answers, yet had none. Who was Rieshu talking about, in her last moments? Who did she destroy the scroll for? And why was Naruto reacting as if the Village itself had betrayed him?

–

Naruto was quite the accomplished liar.

Once he was done grieving, which took longer than the Tayuu implied it would, he saw what his change in behavior coupled with the Village's awareness had caused. The Kyūbi's words regarding how he would pave his path to Hokage rang clear then...

Would he leave fear or respect in his wake? It was enough to leave him agitated and cross, and the Kyūbi howling in amusement. So, he strived to bring himself back from the brink where his rage flared as quickly as the sun in summer.

One place he did not allow his previous facade to manifest again was the Academy taijutsu yard.

When questioned by Iruka on his sudden ferocity when facing opponents, Naruto responded, "I used to worry what people would think. Would they be afraid? Now I know. So I don't need to worry."

Iruka found himself worrying for his opponents more.

The match currently being called together was a somewhat common sight, considering the personalities in play. Kiba Inuzuka was a loud, confident, brash and boastful youth, quite full of himself and his clan abilities and strengths. In fact, he was rightfully so – most Inuzuka were rather good frontline fighters, once they matured to compliment their skill as trackers.

Naruto was an enigma. His style wasn't anything the instructor had seen before, and frankly seemed... very odd on the boy. Like it was tailored for someone taller, more lithe. Still, he made good use of the movements, which were unusually fluid and graceful. He was reminded of what would result from a complimentary merging of Gentle and Hard Fist styles, if only with a lot of unnecessary movement.

The match started as half expected. People still cheered on Kiba, even those that weren't usually in favor of him. Iruka had to admit, it would take a while for the pervading opinions of their elders to lapse in most children's minds, regarding Naruto. He wondered, however, if it really would happen in time?

Kiba rushed out to meet Naruto, recalling how the boy used to run ahead, headlong into almost any fight. Instead, he found himself forced to charge the entire length of the yard, as his opponent was only standing and observing him through narrowed eyes. "Trying to fight smart now? That's a laugh," Kiba taunted, working to get a rise out of his opponent.

In response, Naruto waited till Kiba was within striking range, then began to move. One foot forward, a light duck to avoid Kiba's wild swing, then a tucked arm... directly into a vertical backfist strike that left the Inuzuka dazed and with a bloody nose. The elbow of that same arm snapped out, catching the feral boy in the throat, while Naruto spun, his arms swapping positions fluidly.

The motion threw Kiba back and onto the ground, blinking up at the oddly graceful motions that Naruto flowed back into. "What the hell kind of style is that?"

In response, Naruto just shrugged, his face showing nothing at all. Iruka couldn't help but wonder where he'd seen something like that before... it was rough and unfamiliar, but at the same time, struck him as very distinct. He knew he should recognize it, but not where from. While the match went on, he tried and failed to match it with other forms, but the motions simply didn't fit. It was too fluid for a dedicated combat style, used more grapples and redirects than the Konoha Academy technique, and only superficially bore a resemblance to anything he recalled.

Kiba kicked back onto his feet, only to be met with a flurry of blows, that swept into, over, and around the Konoha taijutsu guards. Each was screening the next, but what truly got Iruka's attention were Naruto's feet.

He was taking tiny, shuffling, quick steps on his toes. It was the most peculiar thing he'd seen.

Finally having had enough of Naruto's odd style, Kiba lashed out, taking three stinging hits to the face, but landing a punishing blow to Naruto's midsection. The blonde spun with the impact, not even trying to remain on his feet as he fell forward. Braced on hands and toes, the blonde tensed as Kiba went on the offensive.

Iruka could see the winces as people imagined the damage Kiba could do to a grounded opponent, but no one could have predicted Naruto's response. Rather than roll to the side, he sprung and flipped in a shallow spin, catching Kiba's falling leg and flipping him face-first into the dirt. The Inuzuka didn't move, and Naruto used the momentum to spin back up to his feet.

It was easily the most peculiar fight Iruka had ever seen. It seemed more like Naruto was dancing, which was ridiculous, because it looked preposterous as the boy was in a gaudy orange jumpsuit. Dancing in that would be like sticking a jumpsuit on a maiko from a tea house and...

Mouth working silently, Iruka missed Mizuki taking over the calls for spars.

Mizuki missed Iruka mumbling, "...what the hell has he been doing?" To himself in return.

–

Naruko snapped open her iron fan mid-spin, using a loose hold on one spine to let her momentum bleed into the instrument, causing it to flare. Her foot never stopped moving, and so she continued her spin, the pause heavy as she used the cover of a wide sleeve to mask the drawing of three kunai.

A snap of the fan at eye level distracted from the three knives hurled with fatal focus at a target's heart, and the blonde ducked and slid to the side, another fan in hand. With much more fluidity and grace, she finished the routine that had occurred earlier with Kiba, barring the ground fighting.

No need to muss her yukata needlessly.

The seemingly weak flurry of blows became deadly, armed with sharp-edged iron fans, spinning and snapping around an imagined targets arms and torso. Eyes, throat, the soft inner joint of an elbow, wrists... all were targeted.

The style worked great – as Naruko. It still seemed wrong in her shorter, wider, more muscular male form. Knowing she was alone in the Tayuu's private estate, the blonde discreetly made a handseal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

Her clone snapped into being with a flare of smoke, proving she needed to work on her control more still. It was getting better – there were a lot of good techniques she knew now, thanks to her unique talents – but wasn't good enough yet. Her chakra channels were still too wide to allow the use or normal Bunshin clones, the illusionary forms overpowered and unstable due to it.

Still, with the kitsune Henge, the Shadow Clone, and Substitution, passing the Academy exam should be easy.

The problem was currently a mismatch in skillsets between 'her' and Naruto. "Alright, we proved that the kunoichi style works with your form," she noted, adopting a thinking pose. "But not well. Wrong build, bad reach, and... well. It probably looks silly."

A laugh bubbled out of the clone. "No kidding." The shadow clone sat heavily, considering the issue for a few moments. "Well. Without a teacher, and no good resources, what can we do? I'd need to find a teacher that can put up with me, as me."

AN: Part two of this follows. Also, HAHAHAHAHAH. I blame Case13 for this ENTIRELY. Also I would have his babies. Or would at least not eat them. That should be good for something at least.

...I miss Yume.


	5. Chapter 5

Warning: I'm not pulling any punches with these, as they're SCRAP FILES. This is my raw, personal edits and not screened for much other than my own inner grammar nazi. You can expect just about anything, and I know there are a few scenes of mature and violent content. Some of it _harsh_. So, be warned.

Premise: Spiritual and intended successor to Face In The Mirror. I actually wrote this one FIRST then ret-conned in an origin... and yeah. Some things don't mesh right, but I didn't bother to continue it. Anyway, on with it.

—

**_Face In The Mirror (2)_**

Jiraya looked over the scroll, handed to him by his former teacher with an increasingly deep scowl. "So... let me see if I understand this all correctly," the Sannin mused quietly, in a deceptively calm voice. "While I've been away from Konoha, setting up and maintaining our only functional spy network after the Third War, I left you in charge of Minato-kun's son for eight years.

"In that time, I've managed to nominally diffuse a war movement from the Raikage's council over that Hyūga nonsense. Rebuild our contact network abroad. Isolate and remove three A-class missing ninja. Learn of and begin monitoring of Akatsuki, thanks to Itachi-san – who by the way, creeps me the hell out, and that's saying something." Pausing, the Toad Hermit drained his shallow bowl of sake. "And I come back to this?"

He began to touch on the major points, growing louder with each one. "He was removed from the state-operated orphanage, for I quote, 'irreconcilable insubordination'. Let me see if I can translate this... ah. He didn't drop dead when someone yelled at him to, right?" The man across from the desk shrank in on himself slightly. "Right. So, you used Minato-kun's funds, held in trust, to buy him an apartment, but the information got leaked, and suddenly you couldn't find a lessor that would be willing. So you bought him an apartment building, next to the red-light district?"

There was a long pause while the Sannin cursed and drained another shallow bowl. "Which, admittedly, works out I suppose. Here I see you got his Academy acceptance pushed through, after his first testers were..." Jiraya squinted to make sure he read what was there properly. "Dismissed and arrested for Blood Bay use? You let druggies run your entrance exams?"

"It was a prank," Sarutobi muttered, leaning on a gnarled hand. "At least that's my suspicion. Naruto began a policy of 'an eye for an eye' after the orphanage. That exam could have cost him three years, so we think he planted some Blood Bay he got from who-knows-where, and staged a trash can fire in their office. Since it was impossible to prove he did it, and he's not saying anything to me, it stuck. Incidentally, he had to be retested, along with that year's class. The fire conveniently destroyed that batch of results."

Jiraya snorted in amusement. "Seems fair to me," he opined, ignoring the Hokage's glower. "Continuing... you taught him how to do the basic Transformation technique so he could... study to repair his own apartment, and buy supplies without civilian bias?" The Sannin stood and peered out the office window for a moment, scrutinizing the skyline. "You set him up in a fucking condemned building didn't you?"

"Minato's funds weren't infinite," the Hokage snapped. "I had to take what I could. The council-"

"Needed to have its teeth pulled long ago," Jiraya shot back. "Are you Hokage or aren't you? Hell, even Orochimaru told you that was a bad idea, giving them that much power."

Sarutobi regarded his former student with a fierce gaze. "The people have a right to a say in how they are governed. No one serves a tyrant happily."

"You forget, that's why we have a Daimyo," Jiraya pointed out, in a voice reserved for one explaining something to a child. "He runs the civilian population of the Fire Nation. You on the other hand, are responsible only for this single military city!" Slamming his hand down on the table, the Sannin seemed to loose his anger in a rush. "Konoha is not a Nation. It is a Hidden Village. Leave the politicking to the politicians. You have shinobi to oversee."

The Hokage didn't deem the man's comments worth a response, so the Sannin shrugged and continued on. "Two years passed here, and finally someone promoted to ANBU Intel noted that the surveillance around him was being compromised." He squinted, reading over something again. "Or rather found them incomplete. Apparently the boy took to wearing a combination of colors that vastly degraded the Hyūga on duty's ability to observe him for long periods of time?"

Jiraya blinked up at the Hokage, looking vexed. "What the fuck?"

"He painted his apartment orange. To match his clothes. All of them."

The Toad Sage blinked again.

Sarutobi sighed, taking a moment to light his pipe. "Apparently, it gives Hyūga a very bad migraine to stare at that color for long periods. Over those two years, observation dropped off heavily. The first year coordinated with his first in the Academy, which was lackluster. He showed sporadic improvement, but it wasn't following a normal curve." Gesturing to the scroll, the Hokage motioned for Jiraya to continue reading.

"Alright, so a little backtracking found he was spending a lot of time, under Henge – what's with this note? Who footnotes scrolls? – at the nearby... hoo boy. Kushina would have your balls in a vice. A brothel?" Jiraya peered over the scroll, seeing the old man look away, a grimace on his face. "That brothel?"

"Yes."

"Hoo boy," the Sannin repeated. "Yeah, I see where this is going. Was taken in by the Tayuu Sakai, and treated as a prodigy maiko for two years, under his Henge." Jiraya leaned back and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Great. Mentally traumatized, and a transvestite. You should really invest in finding the bastard and his immortality research. If you die, I think it'll be worse than living with the guilt, considering."

There was an indistinct mutter of annoyance from Sarutobi. "Get on with it."

Shaking his head, the Sannin did so. "Alright. So, taken in by the Madam of Fire, trained in courtesan arts and seduction – dear god, Kushina's going to... – until the investigation on the lack of surveillance completed, approximately three years after the incident began. Three years? Why?"

"Hyūga again," the Hokage groused. "Wouldn't admit to the color issue, and the investigation was locked up without leads until I got the order pushed through. Tried to claim it as a clan secret, even though it's mostly just an annoyance. Takes long-term exposure to cause the migraines."

Jiraya barked out a laugh. "Serves the slavers right," he again ignored Sarutobi's glare. "So. Ah yes, here's the footnote... Huh! Well that's interesting. So his Henge are solid. In summary, we have a Jinchūriki with Kitsune chakra, playing with Henge to be a girl, and running around getting trained by Kushina's old rival in love." Scanning down the report, all semblance of amusement fell from the man's face. "Seriously?"

"Apparently, Sakai was so enamored with the child, she took measures to guarantee he would not be preyed upon, and to, in her mind, improve his social situation." With some bitterness, the old man sighed. "And I played right into it."

"She had this... Rieshu?" Jiraya looked to a nearby folder, noting the deceased former ANBU kunoichi's picture. "Steal the Scroll of Seals. ANBU reported the Scroll destroyed... oh hell I see where this is going. And you had her publicly executed."

"Yes," the Hokage admitted gustily. "And to my sadness, that was when we lost Naruto."

"Rieshu, the ANBU discovered after extensive interrogation, was Naruto's teacher with the Tayuu. He'd formed an emotional attachment, and you burned her to ash in public." Jiraya closed his eyes, running a hand down his face. "He slipped his minders and attended the execution. That brings us to now." The Sannin regarded his former teacher with a glare. "You want me to fix this? This is your mess. Why should I get involved now?"

Sarutobi sighed tiredly. "He is your godson-"

Jiraya threw the scroll in his hands across the room, as the Hokage realized his mistake. "Oh, now he's my godson? After I tried to have another shinobi family adopt him, that understood his burden and would care for him? After I tried to talk to the council you pander to, to see reason? After I offered to take him away and train him myself, now I'm his godfather?" The Sannin slammed his fist down onto the Hokage's desk, rattling items and disrupting paperwork. "You denied me all the measures I could have taken to prevent this, and now you call me back to clean up your mess? Fuck you, old man.

"You really don't know when to quit do you?" Standing, the gray-haired ninja glared at the Hokage. "I'm dealing with my side of this. I'm protecting him from everything outside Konoha. I left him to you, thinking a Kage could protect him inside his own Village." Scrubbing his hands through his hair, the Sannin paced for a moment, as the Hokage stewed on his words. "You realize, old man, that if I take him, he probably isn't coming back."

Sarutobi started at that. "That's not an option, Jiraya. He must return to Konoha."

"Why? You've sure as hell not given him a reason to stay here. I'm surprised he's not tried to leave himself, or Sakai tried to smuggle him out. Speaking of... what happened to her?"

A sour look crossed the old man's face. "Protected. She had the Daimyo and the council wound around her finger before I even knew she was behind things. As for why he must stay, surely you recall your own reports. Other Villages have such children as well."

"So, he's to defend a home he hates from other demon containers?" Jiraya scoffed. "He has more reason that I do to hate this place, and less loyalty to start with." With a sigh, the ninja regardless nodded. "I can think of a way, maybe two. But we do this my way. And he has to leave the Village for a time."

He was hesitant to do so, but Sarutobi agreed. He had summoned Jiraya because he had so few options left, so it was a foregone conclusion that he would do as his former student asked. He owed at least that much to Minato and Naruto.

–

Jiraya knew it would be worse than foolish to use any excuse regarding the Hokage at this point to approach the boy, so instead used the other direction. He made an appointment, using his reputation to pave the way, to speak with Tayuu Sakai.

While he waited for the Tayuu to arrive, he was attended by a rather quiet, if talented girl who seemed to ignore his compliments and allusions with an iron determination to do her duty as entertainment of a sort that didn't require physical contact. She was rather good at the shamisen for her age, and even better at dance, performing such a routine with music provided by a few of her fellows that it was hard to imagine her not being a kunoichi.

As if timed, the song ended and she took a seat to his right, leaving the table's only empty seats the one directly before the door to the small tea room, and the one across from him. With an arched brow the man regarded the girl a moment, wondering why she was remaining, instead of taking her leave like a usual attendant would at this point.

With a growing sense of unease, he finally took in her actual features, rather than simply enjoying the combined effect. He'd been so focused on Sakai and been to so many of these kinds of places for years that he'd let the girls in them become part of the background, unless he was focusing on them directly. It was a bit embarrassing to realize he'd been doing so, thinking on it. Oh, he was always on guard, but one didn't get to his age by being an easy target, so he was aware of his surroundings, but at the same time not focused on any single thing. Normally, that would be a given, but he was in Konoha, and one can't be tense and alert always. That way madness lay.

The blonde hair wasn't wholly uncommon in more coastal climates, but this far inland, and with the insular nature of Konoha, it was rare. It was at least styled in a familiar way, despite its length, being wound up at the back of the girl's head and secured with what looked like gemmed needles. Even more unusual were the shockingly blue eyes, more like the waters of the Broken Bay around the main island of Water Nation than the sky. The Yamanaka had blue eyes as well, but her skin tone was all wrong for that family, and that color blue simply didn't exist in the Fire Nation.

Straying from her face, Jiraya took in the rest of the young woman's appearance as surreptitiously as possible. She looked to be in her mid-teens, her body well into its development, but still slim and lithe. The voluminous kimono the blonde wore masked her body well enough for him to only know that curves existed, but not to what extent. It had irked him earlier, but now only added to a list of things that seemed off.

Or, he admitted belatedly, damning. Jiraya took a breath to ask the blonde a question, when...

Showing why she was the most cunning woman in the Fire Nation, Tayuu Sakai chose that moment to enter the room, the small hiss of the rice-paper and wood-frame wall sliding a subtle alarm. "Ah, but it is good for this humble house to see one of your stature, Jiraya-sama," the woman murmured quietly, one arm up so that her mouth was covered by a sleeve. Her smile was apparent, regardless, in the dance of her amber eyes.

Tsuyu Sakai was not a native to the Fire Nation, having like so many others that made up Konoha, come from other places, other countries and cultures. Her skin tone and hair color placed her as a native to Lightning, possibly as far north as the Storm Sea, with the almost cocoa tint and orange-hued eyes, her hair a deep auburn that could be black, but for the red shimmer. The exotic cast to her features made her a much-sought after companion, so far from her native lands.

But, like most things in the shinobi world, that was only the surface, and only one surface at that. Sakai was the most comprehensively trained yūjo – a woman of comfort – in the Fire Nation, or if one read the winds correctly, Wind, Fire and Water Nations. It was with some pride that the Daimyo took her and her house under his protection, though it was dulled somewhat at her choice of location. Sakai chose Konoha, Jiraya knew, for many reasons.

One of which mirrored his own motivation to pick such establishments as she ran, for his own spy work. Those same yūjo that she trained, and the kunoichi that were sent to her houses to learn such trades all came to see her as a surrogate mother. People talk to their prostitutes, and the stresses of their duty force kunoichi to spend time among those same people to both learn, and decompress, having sympathetic ears to speak to. Sakai was in a unique position to capitalize on all those potential sources of information. Duty, loyalty, and the stresses of their work all turned to make her the dangerous spider, sitting in a vast web.

A very pretty spider, Jiraya noted, taking in the woman's vastly embroidered kimono, the outer piece alone worth at least a B-rank mission. "It is an honor to be in your house," he replied with a smile finally, raising his shallow sake bowl in a salute. Turning a gaze to his stoic and still companion with blonde hair, he crooked a grin. "And I see the flowers truly do only bloom this prettily in Konoha."

"Careful of how you pick your compliments," his host chided gently, snapping a fan open with her hand, as she dropped her widened sleeve. "Some of us poor, homely, foreign flowers may find themselves affronted."

"There are flowers, Sakai no Kimi, then there forces of nature become art," the Toad Sage replied with some gravity, causing the woman's brows to rise. The use of such flowery honorific made her giggle prettily.

"What a clever tongue," the Tayuu murmured, sitting with small, economic motions across from the Sannin. With deft motions, she went about settling the blonde's shamisen in her own lap. "Mei-chan, tea."

The blonde bowed deeply. "Yes, Tayuu-dono."

Her throaty purr surprised the Sannin into raising a brow, having not heard the blonde speak yet. It was a voice, he grudgingly admitted, perfectly suited to such a location as they were in. Jiraya watched as the blonde moved with quick little flurries, silk and patterned sleeves fluttering as she moved. "She is a rare find, isn't she," Sakai mused, noting his attention. Her smile grew, as she slowly strummed the instrument in her hands, the wide pick tapping the snake-skinned sounding board lightly. "So eager to learn, to have a place of safety."

Eyes narrowed, the Sannin had some difficulty masking his growing concern. "Mei, you said her name was?" He noted the slight glance the use of her name garnered him, from the blonde. "I have to say, the only other clan in Konoha that has hair like that are the Yamanaka. But they don't have quite the tanned tone her skin has."

Sakai's eyes glittered, watching both the Sannin and her charge. Jiraya was obviously aware of her game, and Mei... she was waiting. Observing. Good girl. "It is rather nice, isn't it? Mei-chan, hold out your arm, dear."

Without comment, the girl stalled in what she was doing, dropping one cup to catch it nimbly in her other hand, her attention still on the tea she made one-handed. Her other arm was held out lightly before her, steady and without trembling, her hand cupped lightly upward, as if to catch the lantern-light in her palm. The Tayuu used her pick to slowly drag the girl's sleeve up her arm, exposing it to the elbow. "Such a sublime hue, isn't it Jiraya-sama? So different from those pale, weak tones one sees so often from ninja breeding programs."

For just a moment, the room grew heavy with the Sannin's spiritual pressure, though it was a futile thing. Both the women near him simply ignored it. "My point," the ninja bit out, somewhat roughly, "Is that I don't recognize her. What is her family name?"

"Tosaki," Sakai purred, drawing out the name into nearly three distinct words, grinning widely behind her fan.

Being who he was, it only took a moment for the Sannin to frown and put things together. "Clever," he muttered, shaking his head. It wasn't a good cipher, not in the least really, but it was as he said, clever. Taking the word 'naruto' in its meaning for maelstrom, then separating the Kanji, one arrived at 'Mei Tosaki' as a possible way to say such characters, as a name. Jiraya concluded his thoughts with action, making a handseal as he decided to end the ruse. "Kai," he called in a normal tone, despite the chakra flare that enveloped the room.

Mei raised a brow at him, reclaiming her arm, utterly unaffected. "That won't work on me," she stated quietly, setting a small cup before the confused ninja. A moment later another cup graced the table before the Tayuu, then her own place. "Kitsune shapeshifting isn't an illusion."

"So you are Uzumaki."

The blonde regarded him with eyes like glaciers. "No," she replied evenly, "At the moment, I am Mei."

Jiraya repressed a shiver at the 'girl's' tone. He'd ignored the mention of the Kyūbi by way of Kitsune on purpose, hoping to distance himself from the Village's reputation in Uzumaki's mind, but apparently Sakai had been rather comprehensive in her warnings. Either that, or Uzumaki had a fundamental distrust of everyone. He simply didn't know. He noted absently that the tea was excellent, something he'd otherwise be quite pleased with. "Be that as it may..."

Sakai delicately coughed, gathering Mei's attention. "You may go now."

There was a brief flash of relief across the girl's face. "Thank you, Tayuu-dono."

The Sannin jolted slightly as the girl dispersed like a heat-haze, leaving only the barest trace of chakra-fog residue. "What the-"

"Hokage-sama did not warn you?" The amber-eyed woman laughed quietly, her face as always veiled by either a fan or her sleeve. "Mei-chan is... very talented, for her age."

His patience with her games at an end, Jiraya sighed and tapped the table heavily with a finger. The wood thrummed like a struck drum. "Sakai. Enough games. I'm here for Naruto, and you know that." Narrowing his eyes at the suddenly attentive woman, the Sannin continued, "I would prefer you cooperate with me, as I plan on fixing some of the problems he's had to deal with."

"Is that so...?" Snapping her fan shut, the Tayuu regarded her companion evenly for a moment. With all of her face exposed, he saw again – reminded now of times back when Minato was deciding which fiery woman to court – that most of her expressions never reached her whole face. The half-smile, mocking as it was, sat dissonantly with the amusement in her eyes. A challenging light sparked there, "And how do you plan to do that?"

"I can't give you the details, you know that."

Tsuyu smiled broadly, an utterly fake laugh bubbling up between her lips. "Then, dear Jiraya-san, I'm afraid I simply can't let her go."

There was a long moment as Jiraya considered the woman's smile, Konoha, the things he'd read, and life... as it was. The message she sent was clear – if Naruto didn't want to go, then he'd never be able to keep him under his watch. It would be no better than kidnapping. Right now, the boy had one loyalty and it was to her. What was it worth, to take one confused boy from his home, and try to fix him? Did he want to be fixed? Could he? There were too many variables. "What will it take?" He finally asked.

When she told him the cost, smiling like a viper, he wasn't quite sure it was so bad at all.

–

One day can change the world.

Three years can utterly remake it.

Those were the musings of an old man and a youth who were idling by a cliff, watching the clouds spin and churn below, when the former began to speak. "You've progressed a lot, in such a little time."

A pause stretched between them, as the misty false sea below them rumbled ominously. "I suppose so." The voice was neither masculine or feminine, settling into that middle-ground that those still young could manage. "You want to leave, don't you?"

Jiraya laughed quietly. "So you know."

Light broke through the clouds above them, causing those below to flare like white fire. "Yugito-chan's been talking about it for the last month," Naruto noted. Today he was himself, as Jiraya would call it. Naruto had lost most sense of his own identity, as far as gender was concerned, however. He was he, unless he was a she. Then the same applied. Naruto was Naruto, the name changed only as a way to make it easier on others. That's all that he really knew. It helped that Yugito didn't care either way.

"Where will we go? Is there another Jinchūriki you want me to train under?"

The Sannin shook his head slowly. "For the most part, you're done with what you can be trained in, as a Jinchūriki. The rest will be between you and your demon. Killer Bee is probably the most controlled and best-versed of any out there, except maybe Fū out in Waterfall. I say that because I don't know what she's capable of. Best not to assume."

A nod was his only reply for some time. "I'm not... too thrilled with leaving."

Jiraya laughed quietly. "Going to miss your girlfriend?"

Naruto gave him a look, and nodded once. "Yes."

Not used to such directness from the youth, the Sannin sobered. "I suppose you would." Sighing, the ninja continued with his thoughts. "I made a promise to a few people when I took you away from Konoha. One of them was Sarutobi."

The Jinchūriki's reaction was about what the Sannin had expected. A crackling halo of energized chakra suddenly whipping about him, despite the impassive face that hadn't changed expression. Only the eyes had shifted, and Jiraya knew he was walking a very fine line. "He made me promise that I would at least try and talk you into coming back."

With a low growl, Naruto dispersed the wreath of wind and fire about him. Jiraya could practically feel the mental wrench it took to push his anger down to tolerable levels. "He has no right to ask that of me. Not after what he did." The boy snorted angrily. "He can't even label me as a missing ninja, since I never was one."

"I agree," Jiraya pointed out, shrugging. "You know that. I left Konoha for my own reasons, so I'm sure as hell not going to condemn anyone else doing so. Being a Sannin should matter in that regard, but for me it doesn't." He laughed, though it was without true amusement. "You'd think becoming powerful as we did, we'd be loyal to the Village that was responsible. Well, we weren't. The war... broke us. All of us. Hell, being who we were, it should have made it harder to turn our backs on our home. But, there you go."

Naruto regarded his teacher for a long moment. "I don't understand. Why should it have been harder?"

Jiraya hummed in thought a moment. "Tsunade-hime was the granddaughter of the Second, last real heiress of the Senju. There are other, scattered members, but the clan married out, branched off. It wasn't a real clan anyway, more a collection of like-minded people." The old man stretched, reaching up and arching his back till it cracked noisily. "Orochimaru was a war orphan, found northeast of the Fire Nation. He was taken in until that family died as well. He was always wondering about his original family, about what it was that made him so different, that people shied away from him, were afraid."

There was a dark look about the Jinchūriki. "He was really that odd? That it made people hate him?"

The Sannin cursed himself and his nostalgia. The last thing he wanted was for Naruto to empathize with the bastard. "He was. He obsessed with learning all he could about bloodlines, techniques, everything he could. Eventually, he forgot his original goal of finding where he came from, and just focused on the power it'd give him."

Remembering his lessons, Naruto shook his head. "So he lost himself to his search... How could he forget why? I don't understand," the blond finally admitted.

Jiraya laughed without any mirth. "Yeah. Join the club."

"What about you?"

Raising a brow, the Sannin shrugged. "What about me? I was the goofy kid. The joker, the one who wasn't the star, no matter how I tried. My teacher favored Orochimaru, and Tsunade-hime wouldn't give me the time of day. I was good, but not the best. Of the three of us, I was the only one to search out my summon contract the way I did." A distant look overtook the old ninja. "I always liked reading and writing more. Artwork. So I took up Fūinjutsu." Shaking off his musing, he shrugged. "I guess of the lot, I'm the least connected. Sad, that I'm the only one that seems to still care about the place."

As the conversation turned back toward Konoha, Naruto asked the question that still gnawed at him. "Why do I need to go back? What can I learn there, that I can't here, or somewhere I'm not hated?"

Jiraya considered the question for a long moment, before sighing. "We left and came to Kumo to teach you how to be a Jinchūriki. I stayed to teach you to be a ninja. We'll go back, so you can learn to be human."

Naruto started at that, a sour look crossing his face. "I'm not a monster-"

"I know that," the Sannin snapped. "But you've also never been yourself, around people. You're always hiding behind Mei. Even here in Kumo. You need to be Naruto, and be him around others. To trust people, but also learn about them. Be a part of that, because you are human."

"Why can't I do that here? Yugito-chan and Bee-sama are here. Here they at least understand me."

Jiraya sighed gustily. "So, you don't consider Konoha home at all anymore?"

The blonde laughed loudly. "Of course not! Why should I?" A slight, less mocking smile took the place of his former annoyance. "Home, they say, is where the heart is. Well, my heart is here."

"You and that cat-girl," the Sannin groused, earning him a smack on the head that almost sent him off the ledge he perched on. "Hey!"

"Don't call her that," the Jinchūriki at his side warned. "Besides. You never answered my question. Why there?"

The old ninja paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts as he looked out over the clouds. "No matter if they understand, or how close you are to Yugito-san or your other sensei, Bee, you'll never be a real part of Kumo." He watched the boy's face fall regretting he had to be the one to say what had to be said. "They like you. They welcome you. But you're like... a very regular customer. You're not family, to the people here."

Naruto growled, gesturing out at the sky randomly, "And Konoha treated me like family? No thanks. I'd rather be an orphan in that case."

"Naruto!" The Sannin's harsh voice cut the youth off. "What I'm saying, is that there are bonds in Konoha that are stronger than those you can make here. Whether you like them, want them, or even understand them." Sighing mightily, the Sannin stood, dusting himself off. "We'll leave tomorrow. Get your things together."

"Day after tomorrow," Naruto argued. "I'm not leaving without saying goodbye to Yugito-chan."

"And that'll take a whole day?"

The blonde shrugged. "You're taking me away for how long? You can deal with a day."

Jiraya was clearly not happy with the delay. "We have a schedule to keep. If we leave a day late, then we'll be off of it."

"Then don't keep secrets," the blonde snapped. "When it's just you, fine. I'm here too, and you have to consider me, whether you like it or not. I'm not at your level yet, but we both know you can't force me to do anything I don't want to." Jiraya's dark expression told the Jinchūriki he was making his point well. "Besides, Yu-chan is taking me to see Yotsuki-sama tomorrow. I don't want to cancel an appointment with the Kage who's village I've been calling home for three years."

The Sannin grunted, shaking his head. "Fine. But we'll be pressed for time, and won't be able to stop."

Naruto sighed in exasperation. He understood the man was used to being on his own and not relying on anyone else, but some days it was just irksome that he forgot that he wasn't. "I'll remind you when we start out." Standing himself, the youth yawned cavernously, "I'm going to get something to eat. If you need me, you know where to look." Without another word, the blonde sped off with a Shunshin, leaving behind a crackle of dissipating flame and faint howl of wind.

"Should never have taught him that," the Sannin muttered.

–

A few hours later found two blondes lounging in the noontime sun on one of the highest points within Kumo, the clouds overhead mottling the light into patches that danced over the ground. So high up, each patch of shade chilled the skin, while the following shaft of light left it almost hot to the touch. "So, he finally decided?"

Naruto – as Mei – nodded unhappily, running her hands through the other girl's hair. Yugito was a paler mirror of Mei, her skin the average shade of those within the Element Nations, where hers was a more coastal tan. Darker, but not by much. The Nibi Jinchūriki's eyes were her most striking feature, Mei thought, being where her demonic passenger chose to manifest its mark. Permanently slitted like a cat's, they were dark enough normally however to not be noticed. When the other girl was being emotional however, they lightened so that they matched those of her demonic passenger, one baleful yellow, one ghostly green.

She liked discovering ways to make those eyes change, just for her.

"We'll be leaving the day after tomorrow," Mei finally replied, satisfied for a little while after her attentions to her fellow Jinchūriki. "I made him delay a day, for Bee-sama's brother."

"The Raikage must have known, and wanted to speak with you."

Mei nodded, seemingly unconcerned. "I expected it. Though I don't know for certain what he wants."

Yugito nodded distractedly. "I always wondered why he agreed to let us train you. It didn't help the village at all, and we all knew you'd have to leave some day. Maybe that." Brow furrowed, the Kumo girl worried at the string of prayer beads perpetually wrapped around her hand. "It doesn't make sense from a tactical view. Don't take it the wrong way, but it was like we trained our enemy."

Mei laughed a bit at that. "But, in doing so, you may have neutralized the same."

"I don't follow."

The former, and soon to be again, Konoha Jinchūriki considered her words carefully. "Well. Would you, if ordered by your Kage, attack Konoha?"

Yugito shrugged slightly. "Yes. It's my duty."

Her companion nodded slightly. "Would you attack me?"

A pained look crossed the Nibi Jinchūriki's face. "Mei..."

"It's ok," the Kyūbi container laughed, causing her companion to frown deeper. "You were trained to understand your duty. I," and here the sometimes-girl paused, regarding the sky above, "however was not."

Yugito blinked, then smiled, relaxing. "You wouldn't fight me?"

"Not in a war," Mei replied. "I hope it never comes to that. Konoha would be sadly mistaken to think me their weapon."

The older girl peered at her companion, noting Mei's focus. It was unusual to see the usually boisterous girl so collected, outside of formal settings. "Who's weapon are you?"

A smile split the Kyūbi Jinchūriki's face. "My own."

Her companion wrinkled her nose, "Must be nice."

"You like your duty," Mei argued, shrugging. "It gives you peace, a place to belong, and family of a sort. Choosing to enjoy your life is the best way to defeat our situation."

"I suppose so," the older girl noted. "I don't mind being who and what I am. Kumo's been kind to me, and Bee is like my older brother. Though, it was odd being so... distanced from everyone else, I understood it." She took that moment to curl up around her smaller, younger companion. "I'm glad we won't have to fight."

"We may someday, but it'll never be like that," Mei declared, grinning as Yugito nuzzled into her neck. "I like our little contests. Wrestling around, pushing our limits," the Kyūbi Jinchūriki's voice had dropped to a throaty purr.

Yugito stiffened, then chuckled. "Stop that. I know you look and feel almost as old as me, but deep down, you're still too young."

Mei sighed gustily. "Tease."

Yugito grinned wickedly, then bit Mei's ear. "Yeah. So?"

–

Noon the next day arrived on a meeting between some of the most powerful individuals living in the Element Nations. Behind his massive marble desk the current and equally massive Raikage, Ē Yotsuki, sat and regarded those gathered before him, a nearly imperceptible smile playing across his lips. There was a distinct resemblance between Killer Bee and Ē Yotsuki, as both shared the same massive build, skin tone, and hair color. Where they differed however, was personality.

Killer Bee was, despite his years of service as a shinobi and nature as a demon container, very light-hearted and easy going. He could be serious when it was needed, but chose to see life as fun, and something to enjoy. Ē was a pragmatic man, who planned much of his life out, and worked constantly to strengthen not only himself, but his clan, Kumo, and Lightning Nation as a whole. Always looking for ways to do so, he was far from a shadowy planner. The current head of the Yotsuki clan was very active in not only Kumo's administration, but missions as well.

Much to the anxiety, and pride, of his shinobi.

His brother, Killer Bee, was distracting himself till he called the meeting to order, scratching down what was likely lyrics on a small notepad. The Eight-tails' Jinchūriki wore his 'work' clothes, the one-shoulder white vest, and forehead-protector bound in the same color, with his seven swords across his back. Oldest of the known Bijū containers, Bee was also likely the most skilled and powerful, not only having spent decades honing his sword style, but also mastering his demon's gifts. He was also, if Jiraya's reports were to be taken at face value, the only Jinchūriki alive to master the full power of their demon, being able to manifest as the Eight-tails without dying or being consumed by the same.

Beside his brother stood their all-but adopted sister, Yugito Nii. Clad in typical ninja attire, she wore the slightly loose black cargo pants and fitted tight-mesh shirt, with wraps extending from her elbows and knees. Open-toed boots, a light armor vest with a cloud pattern, and her ever-present prayer beads finished her usual ensemble, looking every bit the professional kunoichi.

Kumo's second Jinchūriki, Yugito was still too young to be considered anything like a master at her talents, but like Bee, had her own strengths. Where the Eight-tails had a dual nature that was elemental, though Bee preferred the Lightning styles that Kumo was renowned for, Yugito's demon was of a different sort. The Two-tails was a demon of fire and death, and due to this, Yugito had vast control of both flame and Yin-aspect chakra skills. The pinnacle of her talent, so the Temple claimed, would be speaking to and dealing directly with spirits and the dead. It was for this reason that her training was so... unusual. Some would call it horrific, but due to her demon, the young woman simply saw it as 'interesting'.

Being a Kage, Yotsuki had a vast knowledge of chakra forms, theory, and experience, and saw her demon-gifted skills as a perfect compliment to Bee's overwhelming force. Where one would be a great battlefield asset, the other would perform miracles in regard to data gathering. Killing vital information targets would do nothing to reduce their ability to find such information, if Yugito could be counted on to continue her growth.

The Raikage looked to the next of those gathered, and let his smile increase slightly. This one would guarantee Yugito continued to grow, as she would always strive to stand beside them. Naruto Uzumaki – sometimes Mei Tosaki, which honestly amused him to no end – stood at Yugito's side, hand sometimes brushing with that of his friend. Their budding relationship was no secret, and they had not tried to make it one, though he had to admit, the Kitsune Jinchūriki's tendency to treat gender like clothes to be changed on a whim brought certain things to mind that were best not considered in polite company.

He had no desire to appear a rival to Jiraya's claim to fame, after all.

Regardless of the youth's quirks, the Kyūbi Jinchūriki had proven to have vast potential that even the Lightning Temple admitted they only barely tapped the surface of, in working with the boy. It would be some years before it was fully realized, but some of his strength had already manifested. He was still below Yugito, only recently receiving the training she was also taking to unlock her full abilities, be he knew there was a high ceiling there. Like Bee, Naruto showed that his own chakra had aligned in nature to that of his demon, manifesting as wind and fire. Unlike his brother, Naruto gladly embraced those natures, though he was as yet unable to combine them into a unique form yet. It would come in time, he knew, and he looked forward to seeing the results.

Where Bee had seemed to pick up bladed combat like a second nature, Naruto however had talents that made him very... variable. His persona, Mei, was testament to this. Like the Kitsune demon within him, the boy showed an uncanny ability to take what normal Henge attempted, and perfect it. His transformations were absolute, having substance and form, and were immune to chakra pulses that would otherwise counter such illusionary tactics. Not a combat skill, it however blended nicely with a shinobi's talents, making the Jinchūriki nearly impossible to track or prevent from sneaking into a secured location. No 'open' records were kept of this, as it was easily an S-ranked talent, perfect for infiltration and assassination, and neither Jiraya, nor he wanted the secret to leak out before its time.

The Toad Sage himself finished the collection of those gathered, standing beside his charge and making notes of his own, mirroring Killer Bee. The Raikage knew better, of course, and looked forward to the man's newest... research.

"Alright everyone," Ē rumbled, calling the meeting to order. "Jiraya-san has let me know that he and Uzumaki-san will be returning to Konoha shortly." The Raikage knew this wasn't news, but paused, just in case somehow, someone wasn't already in the know. He nodded, seeing all present were aware. "Through our little diplomatic action, I've consented to opening Kumo to further interactions with Konoha, and have also pushed for more lenient boundaries between our two countries."

Jiraya stood stunned at the man's declaration. "But... it was just the two of us. Why?"

Naruto nodded along with his guardian. "I'm... not really even a Konoha native, in my own mind. Everyone here knows I consider Kumo more my home than anywhere else."

"I understand this doesn't make sense now," Ē noted, before taking up a large mug of water. "I trust however it will in time. After all, the Fire Nation sits central to all other Nations. If they had no allies, then they are besieged by enemies, are they not?" The Raikage smiled grimly. "Kumo will only benefit if our two nations come to an accord."

Hesitantly, Jiraya agreed. "It would, as would Konoha. There are still other issues that must be considered, however." The Sannin shot his younger charge a look, but continued. "The Hyūga, for instance. Then there is Suna, who are treaty allies with Konoha currently."

Ē grinned at the Toad Sage. "Despite the loss of the Third Kazekage? Suna's power is daily diminished by the Wind Daimyo, like a fool. Soon, the treaty with Suna will regard only an empty desert."

"You have a point," Jiraya noted with a sigh. "Still, Wind and Lightning aren't precisely allies. You both compete for the same coastal exports to Water and other island Nations. It may cause undue stress to negotiate such a thing."

The Raikage waved a hand. "Leave negotiation in this to the Daimyo's and Kages. If the Kazekage would jeopardize his own tactical position with Konoha as an enemy state, with Kumo using our fleet to attack their weakened coastal areas, then more's the pity for his idiocy."

Tapping his chin in thought, Jiraya blinked as it was Naruto who voiced the next point, "But, to use your fleets would put them in danger of Water. They would see a mobilized navy that close to them as an excuse to strike out, and remove your sea power."

Ē laughed, nodding. "Good, you've not been ignoring your history and tactics."

Naruto shrugged. "I like boats. I found studying naval tactics interesting."

Smiling in a knowing way, the Raikage only replied with a quiet, "I suppose you would, wouldn't you?"

"As I said, leave the negotiations and plans for such things to those who's place it is to do so," the Raikage declared. "I'll send my offer to Sarutobi and the Fire Daimyo with you when you depart." Peaking his hands, the Kage hummed to himself in thought. "We are all aware of Akatsuki, if not fully briefed on their capabilities. Kumo will be limiting my brother and Yugito-san's activities to minimize danger to them, and ourselves. However..."

The Raikage paused, considering something for a moment before speaking. "I understand that, according to Jiraya-san's limited data, the organization is made up mostly of S-rank missing ninja. These men and women are nearly if not Kage level, and they move in pairs. Dangerous enough on their own, adding the abilities of Bijū to such a situation can only make it worse." He handed a scroll to each of the present Jinchūriki. "A sane man, like the Lightning Daimyo, would bargain peace with them, offering their demon containers in exchange for non-aggression treaties. However, Akatsuki is not a Nation, and I don't trust them to behave like one. Whatever they seek the Bijū for, we will undoubtedly find worse than open conflict."

During the man's speech, the expressions on the gathered Jinchūriki moved from worry, to open concern, then to grim determination. With Bee as the Kage's brother, Naruto knew that he'd be defended here, as would Yugito. If he understood the man's words correctly, he also included him in that number. It left a warm feeling in his chest to know his friends wouldn't change their minds about him, just because of where he may roam.

"Jiraya," the Raikage continued, "Will you take the time after Naruto arrives in Konoha to return to your networks?"

"I had thought to," the Sannin admitted, earning him a weak glare from the blonde at his side. "We need more data, current data. If nothing else, I can trust some friends in Konoha for a small while to look over Naruto's training and safety."

Naruto growled, "Pervert Sage..."

"Quiet, brat."

The Raikage cleared his throat. "As long as he's kept safe. I'm sure Yugito-san would be unhappy if the object of her affections was to come to harm." Yugito colored sharply at that, much like Naruto. She, however, didn't have the option of calling her Kage on his light barb. She also didn't bother to hide her small smile.

Chuckling, Ē finished up what he felt needed to be said to the group as a whole. "In one year, Konoha will be hosting the Chūnin Exams." He leveled a stern gaze to the youngest blonde before him. "Naruto-san. I expect to see you there."

Standing straighter, the youth bowed deeply. "I will be there, Raikage-sama."

A half grin tugged at the swarthy man's face. "A bit less formality is allowed, for those here I think by now."

Naruto's smile grew at that. Once more reminded that he had, despite Jiraya's words on bonds, a home here. "Yes, Ē-sama."

"Which brings up another point," the Kage noted almost absently. "Yugito-san. Your promotion has been delayed one year already, yes?" The young woman nodded, brow furrowed somewhat at the reminder. "When we took in young Naruto-san, I knew the schedule of such things. I also expected him to leave us, so that he may participate at least in those exams as a Konoha ninja," the Nibi Jinchūriki got a mischievous look, slanting her eyes toward her companion. "You will wait one more year, for your official examination, so you may attend opposite your peer."

Yugito and Naruto shared a pleased smile at one another. With Akatsuki on the move, there would be less chance for either of them to leave their Village, so the chance to attend the Exams together was quite a boon. Even if he felt bad about inadvertently causing her to be held back, Naruto knew that Ē wouldn't restrict her due to rank. Still, he planned to make her welcome to Konoha a grand one, eventually.

He also planned to meet her in the finals.

The two bowed as one, "Yes, Raikage-sama."

Ē leaned back in his chair, rather pleased with his plans. "The three of you carry a scroll with a single-use diagram. It will transfer to a skin-borne seal, when activated. I expect all of you to do so, before any long-term missions. You two," nodding, he indicated the Kumo ninja present, "may do so any time. The seal is a limited and one-use self-summoning jutsu, penned by the Lightning Temple at my request."

Naruto inspected the furled silk attentively. "Where will it take us?"

"Why, here of course," the Raikage rumbled. "Where else would I think is safe enough?"

Jiraya muttered something at that, but otherwise had little to say. "For now, I need to speak with each of you separately. I'll begin with Naruto-san, if you all would excuse us?"

Once the others had moved to the hallway, the Raikage activated the room's privacy seal. "Naruto-kun. I know you're not pleased by these events, but understand this is for the best."

The blonde winced, but nodded. "I'm beginning to see, I suppose."

"I don't think you do, not wholly," the swarthy man replied, looking over the young man with a speculative eye. "For instance, do you know why you are so important to Konoha, other than your demonic passenger?"

That brought the young boy to a pause. "Eh? I don't understand, Ē-sama."

Ē hummed a moment, before taking out an old, faded, rumpled Bingo Book. "That mirror, by the wall. Bring it to the desk if you would, while I look for something." Once Naruto was seated near the mirror, the Raikage turned his book to him. "Look at this picture, then yourself in the mirror, Naruto-kun."

The Kyūbi Jinchūriki did so, noting that the entry Ē had turned to was of Konoha's Yondaime. Having never seen a color picture, or really any picture of the man, he was immediately struck by how... familiar he looked. A distant memory of the Hokage Monument flitted through his mind, and he realized then how badly the stone portrayed its subjects, sometimes.

Glancing at the mirror, the boy paled. "So now, you truly do see."

"I... what? How?" Memories of his previous Village flared, and his eyes grew misty. Anger and sorrow burned through him like fire, and a wreath of the same flickered and sputtered around him for a moment. "Why? Why did they treat me like that?"

Sighing, the Raikage rested a large hand on the boy's shoulder. "So now you understand why Konoha and you share a bond, beyond what you know. Likely it was made secret to protect you. Hidden Stone would exhaust their assassination squads, working to kill the Yellow Flash's son, or retrieve him for his possible bloodline. They would not be the only ones."

"Would it have been so different?" The blonde wondered, recalling how poorly he'd been treated. True, no one had dared attempt to kill him, but still... "I suppose. I don't like it, but I guess I understand."

Ē smiled broadly at that. "Forgive when it's due, but never forget, so you can be prepared for the next attempt. Good boy. Keep up that attitude, and you'll make a fine man for Yugito-chan one day."

Naruto blushed. "I... it's a bit early to think of that kind of thing."

The Raikage laughed, loud and booming. "Ah, but she's like a little sister to me. It's my place to tease." Growing serious, the man gripped the younger boy's shoulder. "When Yugito-chan comes to Konoha, I won't be able to send Bee with her. Watch over her. Don't let any harm come to her, from any direction."

Meeting the man's gaze, Naruto hazarded a small smile. "You know where my loyalties are, Ē-sama."

"Good man." Standing, he broke the personal atmosphere. "When you're on the road, let Jiraya know I told you about your father. I'm sure he planned on it, when he felt you were able to either protect yourself, or keep it to yourself – and you should. Though," the massive man mused, quirking a brow, "Likely it'll be an 'open secret' within the year, if I know Sarutobi's council." Shaking off his thoughts, he gestured to the door. "When you mention our talk, have him speak of your mother. It'll make a number of things clear as well. Send Bee in, as you leave."

As Naruto opened the door, he heard the man shout after him, "And keep up your studies!"

Chuckling despite the things whirling in his mind, Naruto came up and tapped Killer Bee on the shoulder, getting the larger ninja's attention where it had been on his notebook. "He asked for you."

The Kumo ninja nodded. "Can't keep bro," he waved to the group, "so I gotta go."

For the moment, he ignored Jiraya's raised brow. He'd update the Toad Sage later, and besides, logical or not, the news about his father stung. He was more interested in Yugito, sitting in a shaft of sun and looking a few moments from sleep. Smirking, Naruto shifted into his Mei persona, using her greater height to offer the girl a shoulder to lean on. "That's cheating," the Nibi Jinchūriki accused, taking advantage regardless.

"Eh," Mei replied, settling back herself. "Are you complaining?"

"Shh," the older blond ordered. "Pillows don't speak."

Mei laughed softly until she was silenced by a few vicious pokes from her companion.

Within the Kage's office, the two brothers paced, as they were prone to when alone. Neither were comfortable with sitting, being men of action and decision, though Ē was perfectly capable of long-term plots. "Now that you're free, what do you think about training Genin? Or more correctly," the Kage admitted, "further training them? Two are due for field promotion to Chūnin and the other has been acting as leader for some time."

His brother grinned instantly.

"I thought so," Ē mused. "You took to working with Naruto-kun very easily. I'm surprised you haven't asked to teach before."

"All my focus before was on training," the Jinchūriki admitted. "Thinking I'd never see the need. Teaching showed me there's more remaining, that I can still learn, indeed."

The Kage thought on that a moment. "Ah, I see. In teaching, you were forced to question things, and it opened up new possibilities. Good. I hope to see where that goes then." Tapping a few folders into place, he offered them to Killer Bee. "I want you to refine this team. They're now without a Jōnin, and all of them are sword specialists."

"A kenjutsu team? This is like a dream."

"Right," Ē agreed wryly. "We'll get them started with you shortly. Work as a tutor for them, but don't usurp the dynamic they have. I want to see how this works."

Bee nodded happily. "Sure thing, bro. But, what about Naruto?"

Ē chuckled. "I suppose it is the day to speak about him, isn't it? I take it you don't want to see him go?" Killer Bee paused a moment, then shook his head. "I supposed not, considering. You two are a lot alike." Peaking his fingers before him, the Raikage grew contemplative. "I've ordered Yugito to slip him a scroll, knowing he'll keep it secret if it comes from her. We'll see where that goes in the long term. Though, I suppose the biggest thing for today... I spoke to him about his father."

"Do you think it was wise, to compromise his disguise?"

Ē grimaced at his brother's habitual... rapping. After a while it just got irritating. Regardless, he answered. "Yes. I know Jiraya expected me to do so, at least."

Killer Bee hummed in confusion for a moment. "Why would he blunder, and let you steal his thunder?

"Likely, due to Naruto's past." Ē elaborated. "If Jiraya told him about his father, Naruto would have seen it as a ploy, even if true, to tie him to the Hokage and Konoha. It would work against him to do so, no matter when or how. I'm not sure what that boy has against the Leaf, but it's a deep hate. It makes one wonder." Ē shrugged, before laughing quietly, "Even if Jiraya didn't intend for me to speak to him, it works out better this way."

"And we come out smelling like roses, all while rubbing it in their noses," the Jinchūriki replied, laughing quietly as well. The Kage's brother sobered, growing serious for a moment. "I can tell you like him, bro," he hazarded quietly, "is he good enough for li'l sis, though?"

Ē regarded his brother for a few minutes, eyes going distant in thought before nodding. "In time, he'll grow into a person I'd welcome to do so. I know there was a time I had... thought to match the two of you," he didn't miss Bee's slight shudder, "but I know better now. Your demons aren't compatible like theirs."

"Yugito's a real nice catch," the Hachibi Jinchūriki agreed, "so you don't misunderstand, but we'd make a bad match, for what you had planned."

The Raikage chuckled a bit. "Indeed. Speaking of which..."

Bee backed off, holding a warding hand before him. "Just because you're clan head, doesn't mean you'll get me in that trap." Standing in a ludicrous pose, he began to beat-box. "When I bring a girl to my bed, it'll be because she loves me, and my rap."

Rolling his eyes, the Yotsuki clan head waved his brother off. "Anything else I'll talk with you about later. Nothing else is critical. Now get out so I don't get a migraine."

"Damn, bro, that's too cold," the Jinchūriki whined, though he had a smile. By the door he turned, "Next up, Jiraya or hold?"

"Yeah, send him in," the Raikage muttered, shuffling through his paperwork. "Oh and Bee?"

"Bro?"

"Stop the damn rapping, or I'll start handing out D-ranks for genin to follow you around and boo at you in the street."

Killer Bee whistled, nodding. "Cold bro, real cold."

"I try."

A few minutes later saw the Sannin standing before the leader of Kumogakure's ninja force. "I have to say, you've turned out more ambitious that I had anticipated," Jiraya mused, producing a small scroll, ink, and brush from a seal on his inner sleeve. "Though, I do wonder what you've got planned that you're not sharing yet."

The Raikage laughed quietly. "What? Have I not offered enough shifts to the paradigm for the day?"

"I honestly don't see that many," Jiraya replied evenly, scratching out a few seals on his scroll, before starting a more sweeping design. "You're the Raikage. Your interests are for your Nation's strength, and having Konoha and its Jinchūriki as an ally only helps that."

Ē smiled at that. "Provided he becomes Konoha's."

The Sannin made a sour face. "There is that."

"You never did tell me what it was that turned the boy against his home so," the Kage prompted. "I've heard that he was unloved, an orphan, and that there were some that worked against him directly." Shaking his head, he leaned forward. "That wouldn't enrage the Naruto I know, though."

Jiraya looked up in surprise. "Really? He's not talked with you about it?" Spending a moment to finish the last brushstroke he was currently focused on, the Sannin smiled tightly. "I suppose I can mention it. I just assumed he was... over that, by now. You recall how he learned of his transformation skills?"

The Raikage nodded. "Yes, the Third's situational blindness, and the boy's coping mechanism."

"In a nutshell," Jiraya nodded. "The less pleasant side of that... have you ever seen Mei, when she's in a formal situation?"

Ē nodded, looking somewhat troubled. "Uncanny. Of course I tested her before the Daimyo's lesser regional representative once. Her presence is still asked for."

"Mei is Tsuyu Sakai's, as much as Naruto is Kushina Uzumaki's."

The Raikage leaned back, wide-eyed. "Well that is interesting."

Jiraya scoffed. "That's just the beginning. If that wasn't bad enough, Sakai had a kunoichi loyal to her work with Mei, for the better part of two years as her confidant and support. Not only that, but what little actual ninja training the boy got at the time that wasn't sabotaged, came from her." The Sannin tapped his chin in thought, before shrugging. "May as well tell you, I'm sure you've already heard about that mess."

"I suppose you're speaking of the destruction of Konoha's Scroll of Seals?"

Laughing mirthlessly, Jiraya nodded. "Figured you would have heard about that. That woman that taught Mei was the one who stole and destroyed it. She was publicly executed by the Third. Mei was in the crowd."

Ē whistled lowly. "I'm surprised Naruto didn't snap and start destroying parts of the city. He wasn't the most stable of individuals when he arrived." Tapping his finger against the marble desk, he lapsed into silent thought, while the Sannin worked with his brush. "Were they close?"

"He never speaks about it, though it's a good way to make him ignore you for a month," snorting, the gray-haired ninja shook his head ruefully. "The first time I asked, he damn near left me on the road. Never let it be said that Sakai isn't the queen of manipulation."

With a laugh, the Raikage took off his wide hat. "Finally met your match, eh?"

"And then some," the Sage replied. "You know what her parting condition for talking Naruto into leaving with me was?"

"She had that much hold on him?" Ē shook his head. Quietly he cursed, "Sarutobi is a fool. What did she ask?"

"'Let him find love. Don't bring him back without it.' At first I was, obviously, confused." Chuckling, the Sannin shrugged. "Being a yūjo, asking me that? But I see now. I don't know if he loves Yugito-san, or even if he knows what it is, but it's close enough to count.

"And it centers him. Gives him something to focus on. I'd honestly have no idea how to reach him otherwise." The Sannin shook his head as he considered that. "When we left Konoha, unless he was walking around as Mei, it was like standing next to a lightning rod. He was so angry you could feel it from a few feet away. I honestly didn't know if I could get through to him, but once we got here and he was with your brother and Yugito-san, well. It seemed like he started feeling like he belonged. He mellowed out."

"Bee's told me a lot about being a Jinchūriki," the Raikage offered in a quiet voice. "It took him a long time to be seen as himself, and not just what he contained. If not for him, I imagine Yugito-chan would have had it worse, considering her passenger's alignment." Standing and pacing, the larger man looked out over his Village, from the high tower windows. "They aren't like us. In a way, they are nations in themselves, so finding others who share that burden must be a relief.

"I don't really know my brother," the Kage admitted. "Oh, I understand what he shows me, what he wants to be seen as. But there's always going to be this part of him that exists, where he and his demon meet that I'll never see, or understand. They're all like that. They all have three faces.

"The face we see, the human one. With fear, and joy, all those human weaknesses," Ē mused. "The face they share with their demon, where the two meet, which only they know. Then, last, the demon's face itself."

The Sannin nodded, putting the last touches on his work. "I suppose so. Though, at least we know two of them. Them, and the demon."

Ē smiled, but there was no mirth there. "Do we really? Ask yourself this – what brought your Kyūbi to Konoha last? Where was it for those missing years, after your Shodai Hokage defeated the Uchiha elder for the right to control Konoha? And then, it suddenly returns?" The Raikage shook his head. "I've spoken with and been around my brother enough to know that demons aren't the mindless beasts of power and chakra we think they are. You'd do well to remember that, before assuming you understand something as powerful as the Kyūbi, from only one battle you were informed of second-hand."

The desire to defend his student, the honor, and sacrifice of the Yondaime flared in the Sannin, but in the end he kept silent. Regardless of his feelings on the matter, the Raikage's words rang true. What they knew, for certain, about the beings known as Bijū were little more than folk tales and secondhand accounts. The Temples themselves wouldn't speak on them at length either, despite their specialty lying in the spiritual realm, only offering help in their sealing. For all there were nine Jinchūriki in the world, only one seemed to be on good terms with both his demon and his human side, and the man he trusted had just issued that warning. There was of course a good reason to not consider those words, hinting that the Tailed Beasts were more than mindless, massively powerful beings.

It was frightening. Maddeningly so. Enough that it overrode reason to the point he wanted to avoid thinking on it. What Jiraya knew, by experience and conversation with minor beings of Yōmi, didn't fit with the Bijū at all. In fact, those same agents frankly refused to speak on the powerful demons, regardless of threat or bribe. Demons became more intelligent with age and power, not less. As for the Kyūbi, even minor Kitsune demons of three tails had plots and schemes spanning decades, sometimes a century.

There was a reason their cunning was legendary. And if he removed the blinders of fear and denial from his perception of the Kyūbi... suddenly everything about the demon came into question.

"I see you've started thinking, rather than reacting," Ē observed. "Good. Because that is what I'd ask of you."

Jiraya quirked a brow. "Ask of me?"

"Indeed," the Kage nodded. "You have the best information network known. Though I trust my brother, I do not trust the demon in him."

There was a small sound of scroll-paper being torn, as Jiraya carefully cut the portion he had been working on free of the rest, laying it before the Kage. "I'll think about it. I'll have enough to work on already."

The panel of scroll on Ē's desk was a quick sketch, showing a pair of girls, one highlighted in the sun with longer hair and leaning on the other who was leaning back with a content smile. Around their feet curled a cat and fox respectively, clearly – at least to Ē – stating who they were. It was, he had to admit, rather charming. "They..." The Raikage smiled quietly. "Take care of Naruto."

"That's the plan," Jiraya replied, stowing his belongings back in their seals. "Keep that. A reminder of quieter times." As the Sannin left his offices, Ē continued to gaze at the picture. Only after the massive doors to his office had closed, did he relax.

–

Their final few hours together were harried and rushed, but neither Jinchūriki wanted to be alone, so despite the sting of watching Naruto pack for his time away, Yugito remained nearby, helping as she could, and trying to keep up a smile.

Naruto, used to hiding his own sadness, paused and sat the two of them down. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, knowing at heart he was but not having any particular thing that he could point to, to apologize for. What could he say? That he was sorry for being born in Konoha? Despite the truth of it, for he had wondered now and then what life would have been like, growing up in Kumo.

Shaking her head, Yugito painted a smile across her features, "It's alright. I know this isn't permanent, and we need to do this. If you stayed here, too many other nations would get worried and cause problems."

"For now, I'll go back and set the balance right," he agreed, making a sour face. Bloodying a finger, he activated the room's privacy seal. "At least until after the exams. That should give the plan enough time, and put me in contact with Shukaku."

Yugito pursed her lips, before shrugging, noting the action. "Let's hope he's not as bad as Samidare-sama recalls," she muttered, recalling the conversations involving the Tanuki demon she and her own demon had shared. "Otherwise it may take some impressive violence to get him back in line. I just hope Yōko-sama isn't upset with our impetuousness."

Frowning at that, Naruto could only hope the same thing. Spending a moment to collect a handful of keepsakes, he voiced his thoughts. He envied the two Kumo ninja their contact with their respective demons, where he had yet to contact his own. Samidare being the Nibi's private name, while Yōko was a generic for the Kyūbi. It would be rude, to simply refer to a demon of her stature by only such a title. It would be like calling a Kage 'you, human'. "I'm more worried about her getting upset that I'm going to be taking the bulk of the attention, to keep things under the radar." Shrugging once, he slumped back beside the other blonde, who was perched on his bed. "It's risky, and Konoha is a wild-card as far as their opinions of me... which I'm counting on. The drama should keep people's attention off the others, since I'm going to be making a ruckus during the exams. As long as the plan isn't compromised, I think she'll forgive me. I just wish I was sure."

Kicking her feet, Yugito nodded, though she was still somewhat concerned. "A lot of the plan revolves around Bee's contact with his demon and my own. With you still not in contact with Yōko-sama, I guess we have to work with that."

"Don't worry," Naruto assured his companion and co-conspirator. "I trust Bee, and you do too. It's just a big step from your safety zone."

Yugito nodded, eyes cast down. "Kumo's my home. Even though there are others like me out there, that won't change. I feel like I'm betraying everything I know."

Taking the scroll she'd given him, at the Raikage's order, Naruto again glanced at the directives there. It was one thing he could do to ease the tension, with what would happen... though he knew well it wouldn't fully make up for the total fallout. "Considering he is Bee's brother... I think the Raikage would understand."

The young woman shook her head once. "Yotsuki-sama is complex," she murmured, a pained expression crossing her features. "I'm not sure how he'd react. Hells, I'm not sure how I'm reacting, yet."

"This isn't just about us," Naruto implored, rolling up the scroll across his lap. "It's about everyone like us. It's about throwing us away, when we aren't the things they expect us to be. That can't keep on." Moving so that he faced the older blonde woman, the youth sank to the floor, so he could see her face. Over the course of their conversation, her gaze had sunk down to the floor. "Yugito-chan."

"Naruto-kun?"

"You're more important to me than a Village," the Kyūbi Jinchūriki said quietly, a heavy blush rising along his cheeks. "You understand. You know. They don't. They never will. They won't see us for what we are. People," reaching up, he took one of her hands in his. "Not like them. Not people like them. People like us. We know we're different, but it's our kind of different! Not theirs, to label and throw away. To classify and shelve, or quietly hate." Heaving a sigh, he let his own head fall, till the back of her hand rested against his forehead. He could clearly feel the coolness of her skin, against his own flush from how heatedly he pursued his point. Feel the fine bones of her hand, how her fingers tightened over his own. "I know you're loyal to Kumo. I won't push that to change," he declared vehemently. "I understand you need that! I do. But I need this. They don't have to be mutually exclusive."

With a tenuous smile, he looked up. "Yet."

Yugito sighed, shaking her head. "Yet," she agreed quietly, canceling the privacy seal. "Alright. No more serious talk."

Naruto raised a brow, lips quirked in a half-grin. "No?"

"Hell no," the older Jinchūriki muttered, reaching down and helping him to his feet. She then promptly swept those feet out from under him, tumbling them both to the bed. "I won't see you for a long time. I'll be out on missions, doing all sorts of things," she murmured quietly against Naruto's ear, running her thumb across his whisker marks. "I intend on having some pleasant memories to focus on, during that time."

–

The camp they'd made the night they finally stopped the breakneck pace from Kumo was a few hours short of the Fire Nation border, though they had managed to cross out of Lightning earlier. The small border provinces that changed hands and names so often as to defy the best efforts of mapmakers had little more than armed peasants for guards and border patrols, so the two didn't worry so much on local hindrances, but more on bandits. Just because they had training, didn't mean they were invincible, and an errant arrow during a time of distraction would kill a man as easily as a rabbit.

Once they crossed within a Nation's borders again, the opposite would be true, of course. They would need to be on the lookout for shinobi, but would have little to fear from mundane threats. For the moment, however, they could enjoy a cheery fire, and relax.

"So they cook these..." Naruto flipped the strange orange tuber around in his hands for a moment. "Sweet potatoes? Like that?"

"Pretty much," his companion replied, covering his own with a layer of thick leaves. "You wrap and bury them by the fire. It takes a while, but they're supposed to be rather good with butter."

The blonde considered that, then shrugged. "Eh, sure. And this is a common thing in the Fire Nation?"

Jiraya blinked up at him from where he was busy preparing his own meal. "You don't remember?"

Naruto shot him a dirty look. "It wasn't like people actually talked to me, you know. How am I supposed to know what regional flavors Fire Nation has? I mostly just ate junk food and ramen from that one shop that tolerated me."

"Eh, it's good to know at least. People will give you strange looks if you only know Lightning Nation type cooking."

The mention of such things made the blonde's stomach sound out in protest. "But... I like spiced fowl and those eel dishes."

Jiraya spared the boy an arch glance. "And you used to live off of ramen, happily if I remember correctly. What was it you said when we arrived in Kumo...? Ah. Right." Clearing his throat, the Sannin did a fair impression of the blonde, three years prior. "What?! You mean they don't have ramen here? Barbarians! Savages! We can't stay here!"

"Oh shut up, Pervert Sage," the boy groused, clawing at the dirt to bury his potato. "How long till we arrive, do you think?"

"Two days, if everything goes smoothly," the Sannin replied, leaning back against a nearby tree. "I don't expect any problems. Everyone is pretty quiet on this side of things, unlike the Earth side of Fire's border."

Naruto sat back, looking attentive. "What's up over there?"

A sour look came over the Sannin's face. "Rain. There's been a civil war there going on for years. I think it's recently been on the decline, but there's really no telling. If Hanzo's still in power, it would be like him to close the border like this, but I don't know for sure."

"Hanzo..." There was a pause, as Naruto grew thoughtful. "Oh. That guy who gave your old team the name Sannin. That was a long time ago... he's still alive?"

Jiraya snorted. "Yes. Well, likely," he amended. "He was already a few years along then, by now?" The Sannin shrugged. "Hard to say, but old ninja don't get that way by being nice."

He looked up in time to see a dark look come over Naruto's face for a moment, before it faded. "Very true," the youth agreed quietly.

The look wasn't missed by the Toad Sage. "You know," Jiraya pointed out, "you're going to have to be civil with the Hokage, right?" The blonde glared at him, his only response. "I mean it, Naruto. You can't be hostile like you are right now around him."

Naruto's face shut down, but his voice dripped malice as he replied to the Toad Sage, "Oh? Am I to bow, and pay him false respect? Am I to smile and lie for him?" The blonde did smile then, though it carried a manic edge. "I can do that. But if you want truth from me, you know what it will be."

Jiraya sighed, shaking his head. "Just be polite, brat." He had to pity old Sarutobi somewhat, really. The old man had hoped that time away would dull Naruto's hatred, but for all appearances it seemed to have only festered and worsened over the years. He knew better than anyone, however, that you could only reap what you sow.

While the errant Fire Nation natives were contemplating their upcoming days, a single black bird circled, before landing on an upturned log. Jerked from his contemplations, Naruto stared at the bird for a moment, before noticing a single black feather falling from the sky from its passing. Eyelids fluttering, he slumped to the side bonelessly.

A dark-robed figure appeared beside him, catching the youth before he could hit the ground. "Greetings, Jiraya of the Sannin," the ninja murmured, settling the blonde down in a comfortable position. "I trust I am not interrupting anything?"

Shaking his head slowly, Jiraya gestured across the fire from himself. "No, nothing important. Just trying to talk some sense into the boy." Heaving a sigh, the older man bit into his food, as the new guest settled across from him. "So. What brings you by, Itachi-san?"

Pushing back his hood, the Uchiha renegade offered the Toad Sage a wan smile. "Business, as always," the dark-haired youth replied, staring into the fire. His Sharingan caught the flame's light, spinning and weaving it easily as he let the silence grow for a few moments. Eventually, he broke that peace, "Has he awakened the Kyūbi?"

Jiraya shook his head. "No. Kumo's Jinchūriki worked with him for the last year, getting him acclimatized to drawing off and concentrating the yōki from his own chakra, but the beast itself..." making a frustrated sound, the man threw a bundle of fresh wood on their fire. "Nothing."

"Curious," the Uchiha noted, glancing down at the sleeping boy beside him. "And the seal?"

"Intact, and from what I could compare, very solid. Though, I don't know how it would change with Naruto and the Nine-tails being in contact."

Reaching down, the slighter man brushed a lock of hair from the youth's face. "Such a strange bundle of ironies and contradictions, he is."

Laughing without much humor, the Sannin tossed the 'missing' ninja a cooked potato. "You have no idea. He's struck up a romance of sorts with the Nibi Jinchūriki, while we were in Kumo."

Stilling, Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Was that wise to allow?"

"You try stopping him when he takes an idea into his head," the Toad Sage offered. "Like trying to halt a hurricane. Plus, the Raikage of course was thrilled." Shrugging, the Sannin offered no other excuses. "Perhaps he'll forget her, once we get to Konoha. Out of sight, and all."

In reply, the Uchiha only offered a muffled hum. "As you have let your own heart forget Tsunade-hime?" The Sannin's narrowed eyes forbade further comment. Itachi had none, regardless. "News from Wind says that they will be sending the Kazekage's son to the Chūnin exams soon. I would find it most ironic if they did so, when Uzumaki-kun was also taking them."

"Irony comes in threes," Jiraya muttered, taking another bite of his cooling food. "The Nibi will be attending that year as well."

Red eyes blinking once, Itachi laughed a small, faint laugh. "That would be either very fortuitous, or very foreboding an event."

Jiraya nodded, staring into the fire between them. "We'll have to wait and see. There are mutterings of movement, toward the far south, and west of Kumo. Oddly, the Raikage's files didn't mention official business."

"Treason?"

The Sannin shook his head slowly. "I think more... lenience. I think he's allowing Killer Bee to roam somewhat freely, with Yugito-san secured."

Once again, Itachi showed his mild surprise with a blink of red eyes. "How... unusual."

"He and the Raikage are brothers," Jiraya replied, having thought the same things that the Uchiha likely was already. "He gives him a lot more free rein over his actions that most Villages offer their containers."

Nodding, Itachi held out a hand, onto which the small black bird landed after a fluttering hop. "I will keep this in mind." Staring into the raven's eyes, the young man frowned slightly. "Akatsuki is not moving yet, as a whole. They are building funds, exterminating missing ninja, though quietly, covertly. But, that does not worry me."

"I assume, then, that something else you've found does worry you?"

Offering the Sannin a small smile, Itachi nodded. "Yes. Three things. One, Orochimaru made an attempt against me, for the Sharingan." Jiraya sucked in a hissed breath. "Yes. It was... most disturbing. He has nearly perfected a technique that allows him to absorb, then 'wear' the body of a victim."

Pondering this, Jiraya winced. "A lot of players on the move. You think he will move against your brother?"

"He has broken with Akatsuki, but that only allows him more freedom," the Uchiha renegade replied. "With only one other known source for the Sharingan, logic would dictate he would move against my younger brother eventually."

Jiraya regarded the deep cover ninja with a wary eye. "It worries me a great deal that you always refer to such things in such hazy fashions."

"The shinobi world is based in secrets and lies," Itachi replied stoically. "Truth is a weapon too deadly to wield. Lies can be controlled. The truth cannot."

"...and that does nothing to relieve my concern," the Sannin mused with a sigh. "But, that's neither here nor there. Anything regarding that event, is between you, Sarutobi, and your conscience."

"Thank you."

Jiraya waved the other man off, shaking his head. "Whatever. Your second worry?"

Itachi paused for a long moment, stroking the feathers of the bird in his hand, smoothing them. "A nexus, of things. A knotting of coincidences, that do not feel like such things." Collecting his thoughts, the young man's brow furrowed. "Uchiha lore states that the Sharingan arose from the blood of a demon, wedded to that of a man."

"A common hypothesis," Jiraya replied. "Most bloodlines are considered either the results of spontaneous mutation, selected breeding, or foreign influence." Wrinkling his nose slightly, the Sannin shrugged. "The Sharingan is powerful, and came to be rather abruptly. It follows the third pattern easily."

"Yes," the young man noted, reaching down once more to blonde beside him. "I have come to think, considering what I know now, that it was the Kyūbi that... gifted my clan, with that benefit."

Whistling low, the Sannin looked up, meeting the other ninja's eyes despite the disorienting whirl of their motion. "That... ah. So that's why you were wondering on his progress."

Smiling wryly, the Uchiha nodded. "One always wonders at their origins."

"I'll keep that in mind," the Toad Sage mused. "You think he could...?"

"I don't want to speculate," Itachi replied. "But if so, then he too could be targeted, for yet one more reason."

"Troubling." Jiraya muttered for a few moments, staring up at the stars above him. A Jinchūriki was powerful enough, with their potential and demonic gifts, without the bonus of a Bloodlimit added on. He already worried that the youth would have his father's affinity for chakra shaping and sealing, and what that would lead to. Considering Killer Bee's utter mastery of the sword arts, and Yugito-san's stealth affinity, he could only imagine the havoc Naruto would cause, with a demon-gifted Sharingan.

Or the headache such a thing would bring, with the Konoha Council, considering his loyalties. Rather, the lack thereof. "I'm almost afraid to ask what the third worry you had was."

Itachi laughed quietly at the Sannin's words. "Yes, it would seem quite enough, wouldn't it? But first – have you let him sign the Toad Contract?"

Taken aback slightly by the young ninja's sudden change in topic, Jiraya shook his head. "No. The Great Toad Sage forbade it," he muttered darkly. "They were rather fond of Minato, you know, and after hearing about Naruto's lack of loyalty-"

"Something that was not his fault," Itachi interrupted, eyes narrowed.

Glaring back in kind, the Toad Sage merely raised a brow. "Regardless, situations arose that the Toads felt prohibited his signing of the Contract. Their decision was final." Jiraya knew it had more to do with safeguarding Gamatora, and the key to the Shiki Fūjin he carried. With Naruto aligned against Konoha, whom the Toads had been faithful to for generations, they would never allow him contact with that which could destroy their allies. He also felt there was some guilt involved, as the Toads hadn't been there when the boy needed a friend, or a reminder of his past.

There were times that Jiraya wondered if it wasn't so much that they were denying Naruto, or limiting himself, considering his failed role early on as godfather and carrier of that legacy.

Nodding somewhat absently, Itachi seemed lost in thought for a moment, staring at the small raven on his hand intently. "So. Then I leave it in your hands," he finally murmured, flipping his hand to grip the bird tightly. Jiraya blinked, as the ninja seemed to grip an exposed wing and pull sharply-

In Itachi's hands rested an ornate scroll, bound in black wood, much like the one he himself carried. "When Naruto arrives in Konoha, this is for him."

"But-"

"Jiraya," the young Uchiha interjected, his tone glacial. "Much as the Toads have made their opinions known, realize there are other clans that have opposing views. If I could approach him myself, I would. Therefor, I must leave this to you."

Scowling openly, Jiraya took the offered scroll. "I don't like this."

Itachi's smile was no longer friendly. "I do not require you to."

Placing the large spool of silk and wood onto a sealing array, the Sannin activated it, reducing the rather large object to a more manageable size. "Wouldn't your brother be a better choice?"

Itachi's expression went stony, betraying nothing. "Sasuke has his own path," the Uchiha replied tonelessly. Well versed in the intricacies of seeing the layers beyond the obvious, Jiraya paled as the dark haired ninja continued. "The Ravens will not abide him. Much like your Toads, they see his way moving in other directions."

It could be a good omen, the Sannin knew. Though Itachi's way had been one of bloodshed and near genocide, the Raven clan had long ties with the Uchiha. They weren't exclusive, any more than the Toads were, but they were close. Considering Itachi's unwavering loyalty to the Will of Fire, it could be considered a highly benevolent thing that the Ravens wanted Naruto. That was if he felt optimistic, of course.

That same loyalty, to Jiraya, walked a fine line. True, he knew of the real reasons behind the Massacre, but to slay one's own family... man, woman, and child, on an order? The Toad Sannin knew he would never be able to do such a thing. Such ruthlessness seemed more at home in Kiri, than Konoha. Yet, Itachi was trusted. The only one trusted enough to do what he had been assigned, that being, to spy on, undermine, and report back on Akatsuki's movements. Itachi seemed seemed tailor made for the role, really.

It made Jiraya wonder, about the Ravens, thinking on such things. He knew little of them, really, and the Toads less. Like most summon clans, they weren't prone to socializing with others, picking their chosen summoners carefully. What he did know, made them seem like capable and careful spies, unobtrusive and as cunning as they came. They were also the battle-chasers. Those that picked at the dead of wars and conflicts. Elusive, enigmatic, and as inscrutable as Itachi himself.

Irritated and introspective, Jiraya set the scroll aside for the moment. "If I refuse to give it to him?"

Itachi's gaze turned glacial. "I will know."

"Fine," the Sannin groused, displeased for many reasons. "Was that all?"

Standing, the man in Akatsuki robes regarded him levelly. Not one to be easily intimidated, Jiraya still found the young prodigy's gaze disconcerting. "No, only one thing remains for me to report. My third worry revolves around the leader of Akatsuki."

Jiraya was immediately attentive. "We've been roadblocked on him for years. All my sources could ever get about him were rumors and hearsay about being a ghost, never being seen and the like."

"That would be accurate, however," holding up a hand, Itachi revealed a ring on his right hand, bearing the kanji for 'Scarlet'. "I have my own sources."

The Sannin blinked at the ring. "Inner circle? Impressive."

Itachi favored him with a slight bow. "I am nothing, if not thorough in my tasks. However, that is irrelevant.

"Akatsuki's leader bears the Rinnegan."

–

"Kid, we don't have time to go shopping. What are you wanting so bad?"

Naruto glanced back at him, perching on a branch before letting himself fall gracefully to the ground. He'd been grumpy all morning, having fallen alseep on the ground, his warder doing nothing to make that situation more comfortable. The end result, of course, was a body so stiff it took nearly an hour to get moving properly, and a sore neck that was only just beginning to fade.

It didn't help that Jiraya seemed to be in a similar mood. Damned grumpy old men. "Do you want me walking around under Henge the entire time?"

The Sannin blinked, then rolled his eyes. "Of course not. But that's not what I asked you."

"Do you really want me running around looking like an undeclared Kumo shinobi, in a Hidden Village that's already proven it hates me?" The blonde waved behind him, jogging ahead to the small outlying township. "Just because you get away with looking like a circus clown doesn't mean I want to!"

Jiraya's face reddened in irritation. "Why you little... come back here!"

Naruto's voice drifted back on a convenient breeze, "Oh look. Bathhouse."

The Sannin decided magnanimously that the youth was right. It was nice to know he'd picked up some blending skills from his mentor. "Smart kid. Glad he listens to me now and then," the old ninja praised, veering off sharply from the path.

Some distance ahead, Naruto shook his head sadly. "If I didn't know that he actually was serious under that act..." despite his words earlier, he applied a minor change to his features, masking hair color and defining features without pausing in his steps. Years of practice shaping the yōki flowing through him made such things less like ninja techniques, and more like acts of will.

Unlike Killer Bee, he didn't have full access to his demon's gifts, however. It just so happened that his seal made it much easier to access the Nine-tails' yōki. Something about the numeric significance of his passenger, versus the seal he bore. That didn't mean he had more power than the senior Kumo Jinchūriki, at least not yet. Neither of them knew if his seal would ever allow that, being so different from Bee's. Once he made contact, he'd know.

Till then, he'd make do with his more subtle gifts. Besides, it wasn't like his Kitsune Henge was weak... According to one of the Raikage's Jōnin, a sensor named Shi, the skill was chakra-transparent. Undetectable. Such a thing had so many possibilities... all requiring him to test himself within Konoha, against the Leaf's two great assets.

Sharingan, and Byakugan.

But first...

"Sir!" he beckoned, waving down a tailor from his counter after entering a shop. "I'm buying some clothes for my brother, as a gift. Do you know the latest fashion around this area?"

Naruto grinned, as he picked up a week's change in clothes on Jiraya's tab. The Sage should keep his money more secure. That much would do, he figured. "Say, would you know of any shinobi outfitters, nearby? I was thinking of getting him a sword or something too."

The tailor, an old man with skin the color of leather, rubbed his chin in thought. "Yeah, yeah. Other side of town, near the smith. Can't miss 'em."

Leaving a generous tip, the youth departed, "Thanks! See ya!"

Eying the boy's money as he slipped it into a bare register, the old tailor grinned. "Bless him, don't see such good kids these days."

Halfway to the smithy, Naruto skidded to a stop, sneezing heavily. "Gah. The hell... eh." The smithy was a small one, nothing like the grand foundries in Kumo, but still respectable. He wouldn't risk himself with the place's weapons – he didn't trust smiths he didn't know personally – but for what he needed, they'd do.

Purposefully making some noise, the youth stepped into the adjoining shop, grinning widely. "Oh wow," he muttered in an affected tone of awe, gravitating to the blatantly displayed weapons. He spent about five minutes playing the civilian idiot, before letting his expression go a bit curious.

On queue the shop's attendant, a plain but genial woman of thirty, perked up. "Can I help you?"

"Ah," Naruto hedged, looking about for a moment, "I don't know. You see, I was picking up some gifts, for a ninja relative, and wanted to get a few things. I just don't know what to get him!"

He laughed nervously, as the attendant's eyes lit up. As an easy mark, she'd offer him anything in the store, and not ask questions. As long as he spent a pretty dime – the plan already – nothing would seem out of place. It also helped that his current Henge was nearly a half-head higher than the one seen in the tailor's shop, and a hand's width wider. His smaller 'brother' excuse would work out nicely.

Shortly, he had three wire-mesh undershirts, and some combat dress pants, and simple undermesh leggings that could be worn under civilian clothes, all in the proper cut and colors for a Fire Nation shinobi. He refused shoes – didn't wear them, normally – and picked up some wrapping cloth, reinforced with mesh as well. Good protection, applicable anywhere. The colors were varied, so catering to his more flamboyant side, he picked a red-gold pattern that would suggest flames, once wound around a limb, in contrast to the other items which were dutifully shinobi black.

A few reinforced cloth sleeveless shirts in matching deep reds, with a few more in practical colors, and he was nearly done. One item left, "Say, do you guys sell those... what are they called," he paused in thought, miming with his hands, forming a rectangle across his forehead. "Those things, with the symbols!"

"Forehead protectors?" The woman asked, getting an enthusiastic nod in reply. "Sure, we can supply them. Ninja get them beat up a lot, and need them replaced. Just a bit of metal over leather, fastened to a strip of cloth. What kind of material, color, and backing do you want?" She turned, as if remembering something, "Oh, and we can fasten them to other things. Belts, parts of clothes."

Naruto considered this, thinking for a moment. Bee and Yu-chan kept theirs on headbands of a sort, which worked alright it seemed. Still, options were nice. "Um, how about one on a headband, make that two, unless you know of a better way to wear it around your neck, and um. Can you make them with tie-downs? Like say he wants to just strap one on something?"

The woman nodded, "Easy enough. The leather backing is the part you really fasten."

"Ah, cool," the Jinchūriki nodded. "Then say, two headband, two tie-downs. Oh, and one last thing?" He made sure he had the woman's attention, before flashing a wide, charming smile. "Leave them blank."

She blinked once, then shrugged. "Sure. Not like it's more work for me," she noted with a grin. "In fact, since you don't want them engraved, I can give them to you in a few minutes, if you want to browse some."

"Great! I'll see if I missed anything," he agreed, knowing he didn't get any belts or strapping. He crossed to that part of the clothing, picking out a few things as she finished up. "Add in these," he said, laying his last goods on the counter.

All together, it was a rather large pile of merchandise, counting his other clothing purchases. "Say... this is quite some haul," he noted, looking as if he'd need to put some things back. "Maybe my eyes were bigger than my arms, heh."

The woman, not wanting to lose a sale and seeing an opportunity, only smiled wider. "Well, if you've got a little to spare, I can have it all bundled and put in a seal scroll. You said your brother was a ninja?"

"Oh! Yeah, that'd be great," the youth nodded, working to suppress his smirk. He could fashion the seals himself, but didn't want to let anyone on to his game quite yet. Best if no one other than Jiraya and his friends back in Kumo knew he was picking up quite a bit of sealing. Besides, it was more fun to play the game, sometimes.

He blamed the Kitsune yōki in his blood.

Seeing the total he made the appropriate noises, haggled just a tiny bit to show he respected the woman's trade – and to get her back down to normal prices, as opposed to 'sucker' ones – and then left a tip for her assistance, one very manageable scroll the size of a kodachi saya in hand. "Thanks for the help!" he called as he left the shop, getting a pleasant request to return any time in reply.

Once back on the road, he sped into the treeline, using a particularly large one as a perch. It still bemused him at how abundant the forests were in Fire Nation. Considering its name, it just seemed so contradictory. Jiraya had mentioned it had something to do with old clans and the symbolism of the autumn leaves, but he wasn't convinced. There had to be a deeper meaning and a reason why the Nation was named that way, along with being the home of an elemental Temple of the same alignment.

Comfortable in his perch, Naruto unsealed the scroll, quickly taking out a change of clothes and the forehead protectors. Shucking off his Kumo-styled clothing, he donned an undermesh shirt and leggings, topping those with a red sleeveless top and a pair of loose-fitting hakama pants in black. He wrapped his ankles and the arch of each foot with a length of the armored strapping, pleased with the effect. He didn't like shoes, but that protected the softer middle of his foot.

Hands and forearms were equally wrapped, the flame-pattern stark under the loose jacket that he donned last. Black and short enough to leave his midriff exposed slightly, it was more akin to a thick long-sleeve shirt, other than the wide and deep hood it had. Odd style, Naruto mused, but it offered good mobility and didn't look bad. He'd ditch it in a fight, but it was ok for general use. Maybe he'd send some of the more interesting things he saw back for Yugito to play with, later.

Checking the sky, he saw there was about two hours of daylight left. Likely, he'd need to make contact with Jiraya to continue their trip soon. Until that time, however...

Taking out a bit of dulling-cloth from a pouch, a special kind of weapon maintenance material, he retrieved the forehead protectors and sat them before him. The cloth was very much like sandpaper, being studded with countless tiny roughing patches, designed to take the shine off weapons and armor. He'd already spent some time on his weapons, scrubbing them to a brushed matte that wouldn't reflect light and betray him, and next on his list were the pointlessly glossy forehead protectors.

He spent a few minutes 'buffing' each, leaving them unreflective and with a pleasing pattern that still resembled a purposeful finish. His weapons had all been treated similarly, to reduce the chance of his position being given away while hiding by a glint of light. It was a habit Yugito had passed on to him, being the fastidious ninja she was. Now with a suitable canvas, he began to work.

A nicked finger, some focused yōki, and a brush made from his own hair were his tools, as he used deft strokes to scribe a single character into each surface. Testing his creations, he channeled the tiniest bit of chakra into the metal.

The symbols bled off the chakra in a faint flare of vermilion foxfire.

A wide grin on his face, Naruto fastened one of the loose panels to his jacket shoulder, and set the other across his forehead. Later, he'd do something with the back of the jacket. For now, this would do nicely. He had something to say, once he got back within the gates of Konoha, whether the people there wanted to hear it – or in this case see – or not.

After packing his things back up, he flared his chakra sharply twice, knowing the Sannin would pick up on it. He didn't worry much on anyone else noticing as sensors weren't common, and neither was the skill in detecting such things. Perhaps the rare Jōnin, but then, they were out in the middle of nowhere.

Shortly before sundown, the gray-haired ninja met up with him, and after giving his new attire and 'statements' a scathing look, shook his head. "Lets get going," he muttered in a clipped tone.

Naruto didn't bother hiding his smirk at the man's irritation. The truth wasn't a terribly pleasant thing for ninja to deal with, he knew, and displaying some of it so blatantly would no doubt rub a lot of people the wrong way.

Regardless, he knew precisely what he was. He knew there was a lot of denial and dancing around the issue when it came to him, back in Konoha. The word he'd learned in Kumo that people used to refer to them – Jinchūriki – was proof of that. So, he wore that badge proudly, if with an edge.

'Sacrifice', the metal bands stated clearly.

He wasn't going to hide, this time.

–

As they neared Konoha's gates, the Sannin slowed their progress. "Naruto, there are few things we need to discuss."

Glancing back at the old ninja, the blonde nodded, his expression guarded, "Alright."

Sparing the youth's new accessories with a gimlet eye, the Toad Sage continued, "I know you're loyal to your friends in Kumo. But you need to understand, there isn't a place in this world of shinobi, for someone like you without a Village behind them."

Mulling over the man's words, Naruto paused, resting on a limb. "You're saying I have to choose."

"To be blunt, yes," Jiraya replied. "Allies and alliances between Villages and across borders can change from day to day," he explained. "The hard truth is, sometimes, you're ordered to protect a target, just long enough for them to drop some vital information then the orders will come down to kill them." Seeing Naruto's frown, the Toad Sage pressed on, "Duty to one's Village means that Village is there to support you. This could be to your benefit, with the threat of Akatsuki building.

"In the case of the Leaf, they take teamwork and the bonds between ninja and Village very seriously," Jiraya pointed out. "Unlike some others, the mission is important, but they don't see ninja as disposable. All things considered, I think it's a pretty good place to call home. They'd be a great help, when things get tough later."

Naruto scoffed, "I find that hard to believe. You're trying to tell me that the Hokage would rather sacrifice the Nation's integrity, over his tools?" He shot the Sannin a disbelieving look from the corner of his eye. "And Konoha remains the most powerful Village because of this? How?"

Jiraya sighed, irritated that the blonde didn't see what he was trying to say. "You're purposefully bending my words, and blowing things out of proportion," he groused. "There are some, those specifically within ANBU who are duty-bound to do what needs to be done. But, as a rule, ninja of the Leaf are just as important to Fire Nation as its citizens."

"So," the blonde mused, "they have the same rights and privileges?"

The Sannin hid his irritation well. "No, of course not."

Naruto laughed quietly. "Don't try to sell this place to me," he offered with a smile, though the other ninja could see his eyes were like ice. "I know how much Sarutobi cherishes his precious citizens. I know that, to him, a ninja's duty is to die for those people." Openly mocking now, Naruto laughed. "Well, I've already given my life once – rather, it was taken from me. I don't owe then a damned thing, now."

"Naruto-"

"Just drop it," the Jinchūriki growled, eyes flickering violet in the dying light. "I don't want a lecture about duty and responsibility from a man who abandoned me for the entire time I was most vulnerable. Who abandoned his Village for years, avoiding those same ideas using a weak cover to hide behind. About serving a people who did nothing but hate and revile me. About duty, when I wasn't even a ninja." Head tilting to the side curiously, Naruto regarded the Sannin with empty eyes. "Where was I, in those equations? Wasn't I a citizen, then?" He scoffed. "I know what the Leaf's duty and loyalty are worth."

Disheartened, Jiraya looked away. "Was it truly so bad? That you can't give them a chance?"

Blue eyes regarded him again, measuring. "I can forgive, if they deserve it. Not everyone was like that. Most of the people my age didn't have a chance to pick up the biases of the older generations. But, I will never," punctuating his words, the boy slammed into the ground from a high perch, "ever, forget."

The walls of Konoha loomed before them, the great gate opened only slightly at the hour. Looking back, Naruto smiled. It wasn't a comforting expression, at all. "I know where and to who my loyalties lie," reaching up, he tapped his forehead protector. "But don't worry, if I end up working with ninja here, I'll show them just as much respect as I'm shown in return."

The Sannin bit his tongue so he wouldn't comment on the blonde's chronic lack of respect. At least to him. "Alright. Once we check in at the gate, head to the place I gave you directions for. I'll be along in a while." He needed to speak with Sarutobi, before this entire situation blew up in their face more than it was already threatening to.

–

The two Chūnin guards at the gate nearly made the efforts of Hokage and Sannin alike seem like so much pointless posturing.

As Jiraya and Naruto neared the checkpoint, the two recently promoted shinobi sized them up, noting easily the way the older man carried himself, and the rolling gait that the younger had. Agreeing silently, the two moved to block the way of two unfamiliar ninja. "Halt, and state your business," the shorter of the two called out.

Naruto regarded the two Chūnin with open curiosity, it having been some few years since he'd been in Konoha. That time had washed out his memory of the place and its people, with a few exceptions. Unsure how to answer, he looked to a bemused Jiraya. "Ero-Sennin?"

Rolling his eyes at the boy's address, the Toad Sage nonetheless stepped forward, with a packet in hand. "Here, identification and travel passes," he prompted with ill-disguised impatience.

Kotetsu Hagane scanned the papers, brows rising below his spiky hair. "Jiraya? The Jiraya?" He regarded the man before him suspiciously, before his gaze turned to Naruto. His expression turned rather hostile, "Why would one the legendary Sannin be traveling with that?"

Jiraya shot hit traveling companion a wary look, "You want me to summon the Toad boss, so he can cave in your empty little heads?" Seeing both the men shrink back at his threat and the amount of will he put behind it, the Sannin snorted. "Just check our papers and stop acting like you're more than tokens of visibility here."

He'd hoped putting the Chūnin in their place would placate Naruto, after the one man's comment, but he forgot that the boy had a chip on his shoulder regarding Konoha the size of the Hokage Monument. "Say, Jiraya-sama," the blonde wondered with a smile, staring at the two, "You think these two idiots meant what I think they did?"

The Sannin's hackles rose at the Jinchūriki's over-genial tone. "Naruto..."

"I mean," the blonde continued without acknowledging the Sannin's tone, advancing a handful of steps toward the suddenly defensive Chūnin. "Surely they're teaching people in the Academy not to be that stupid."

"What are you trying to say, dem- damned brat?" Izumo Kamizuki growled, barely keeping himself from slipping, just in case this man actually was one of the Sannin. Kotetsu looked ready to fight already, glaring at the grinning blonde who he had recognized by name. Both the men had lost fathers to the Kyūbi attack, and though they knew the boy had left the village some time ago, neither had forgotten or forgiven him for what he represented.

As Naruto walked blithely forward, Jiraya took a step as well, "Naruto, don't do anything stupid, here."

Kotetsu snorted, nodding toward the older ninja, "Yeah, maybe you should listen to the old man. I'm not above teaching an uppity little brat a lesson in respect."

Naruto's smile grew manic, as his eyes shifted hard into red. At that same instant, an air-thickening miasma of hate and rage swept over the two gate guards, staggering them and pushing them to their knees. All the while, Naruto's grin stayed firmly in place. "Respect?" The blonde visibly shivered a moment, eyes darkening for a brief flash, red beyond dried blood. "Lets not speak of that. And as for what I was talking about, your friend was alluding to the fact I'm the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki," he pleasantly commented, utterly contrary to the sickening force washing over the two men before him. He noted the Sannin's expression, then. "Yeah, Jiraya-sama?"

"Naruto, stop this!" Jiraya snapped, hands raising to start seals. "Stop acting like a child."

The blonde's grin fell as if it was never there. "Don't lecture me in maturity, lech," the youth snapped, returning his gaze back to the Chūnin who were shrugging off his spiritual pressure with his shift in attention. The Sannin, they noted, hadn't reacted at all. "All I was pointing out was that it was rather stupid to taunt a demon, if you can't put up with the consequences.

"Or, alternately, that it's pointless to call someone who obviously isn't one, such a thing. I mean really," Naruto noted conversationally, "if I were the Kyūbi, don't you think I'd have done something... drastic, already?"

The Chūnin, pale and unsteady, regarded the two travelers with wide eyes. "What... what the hell was that?" Izumo asked finally, glancing around to see if anyone had seen he and his partner's moment of weakness.

"Will," the blonde replied simply as Jiraya collected their papers, the Sannin's hand on his shoulder to keep him from acting rashly again. "Think of it like a practical use of that spiritual half of your chakra."

"That's enough, Naruto," Jiraya growled, "Lets go – quietly – and with no more confrontations."

As they passed the gate, the blonde remained quiet. However, once inside Naruto shrugged off the man's hand. "You really expect this to work out like you and the old bastard planned? You expect me to just..." grasping for words a moment, he growled low in his throat. "I don't know. I can't even imagine what you're thinking, sometimes."

Jiraya regarded his student's son – now, his student as well – sadly for a long moment. "I'm not sure what I want out of this either," he admitted. "I suppose it's half a sense of obligation to your father, and half a lingering feeling of responsibility to you, as your godfather." He held up a hand, forestalling the blonde's angry retort at that. "I know. I messed up in the beginning. It's not beyond me however to hope you one day come to think of the place your father fought and sacrificed himself for as home. That's a big part of it, I suppose," the old ninja explained, putting voice to thought.

Naruto tapped his forehead protector lightly, despite the burning anger still present in his mostly-blue eyes. "He wasn't the only sacrifice."

Nodding somberly, the Sannin rested his hand on the boy's shoulder again. "I know. Maybe not well, but I know." Heaving a sigh, he laughed quietly. "Honestly, I'm about done trying."

Confusion clear at the sudden change in direction their conversation took, the Jinchūriki regarded Toad Sage with a raised brow, "Huh?

"I promised the old man I'd try to make you see this place like he does. One last favor," the Sannin explained as they moved deeper into the city. "I've tried," he mused, expression guarded as he walked familiar streets. "But really, he didn't pick the right man for this."

"What do you mean?"

"Thought that'd be obvious," the Toad Sage replied with a bitter laugh. "Get me, who avoids this place like the plague to talk you into thinking of it as home?" A wry grin answered Naruto's short bark of a laugh. "Exactly. Now, you head off. I've got a meeting with an old monkey."

–

As he'd expected, Jiraya found the old man looking grouchy and glum. "So, how is life?"

Sarutobi looked at him. Looked at him, and it gave the impression that he had a Toad's head instead of his own. "What?"

The Sannin sat, propped his geta-clad feet on the Hokage's desk, and leaned back with his hands entwined behind his head. "Well, I just want to know. Because, frankly? Every day before today is going to look better than any day coming up. I figured that I'd suggest in advance to remember yesterday very well, because honestly?" Jiraya chuckled a bit mirthlessly, "today is about to go straight to the shitter."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was far from stupid. He knew all the possible reasons why Jiraya was back in Konoha, and more importantly, now as opposed to any other time. It meant that his personal mission to train Naruto had been a success. It meant that the boy had at least the knowledge to not only pass his Academy tests, but survive on his own if needed, within a Hidden Village.

His words, however, painted another tale. It meant his mission to train Naruto to be a ninja was not the only thing he had sought instruction for. It meant that the boy had the skills to pass his tests, and others he had not anticipated. It meant that he could not only survive, but likely be considered a threat, from certain points of view.

He summarized his feelings on the manner by pulling a particular canister from his desk, full of a rare variety of pipe weed. It came from Kusa, in fact one of the most lucrative farms in all of Grass Nation. Or any other Nation, for that matter.

It was run by a insular bloodline clan of merchants, not ninja, who had the option to turn off their ability to pass that particular talent on to their offspring. He would know, some attempts had been made – for economic purposes only, mind you – to acquire the bloodline. Orochimaru had even tried to work with them, and failed.

Some argued that the family was the only reason that Grass Nation remained autonomous. It certainly wasn't their ninja. For whatever reason that farm, and only that farm, produced this particular variety of plant and by all tests and attempts, could.

Packing his pipe's bowl with some solemnity, Saurtobi leaned back, and lit the small mass therein. A few slow, languorous lungfuls later, he found his reserve restored enough to put voice to his feelings. "Well, fuck."

"I'll be honest," Jiraya grumbled, waving smoke from where he sat, "I don't know what you expected me to do."

"Restore his Will of Fire. Give him a chance to be happy."

The Sannin took a moment to regard his former teacher, before nodding slowly. "In the second, I was a success. I don't know if I made the best choices. I know the people who are after him, the things one day he'll likely face." He shook his head, sighing. "Those people... aren't human. They're monsters."

The Hokage raised a brow. "Akatsuki?"

"Yeah," Jiraya hummed. "Humans who sought out the power to let them be free, and became monsters. And they hunt people who hold real monsters, who only want to be human. The irony of that really kills me some days."

"You're introspective today," the old man noted, a slight smile on his face. "So. Tell me about Naruto's training. What can I expect of him?"

The Sannin's expression grew somber. "I took him to train in Kumo. It was the only place open to us, and it had a better environment for him."

Sarutobi sat back, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Kumo. That... is interesting. So he attended their Academy?"

"I took him there to train with other Jinchūriki," the Toad Sage corrected quietly. "I... felt like it was the best way to prepare him. As ninja...we understand pain and sacrifice. But only a Jinchūriki can understand another." Jiraya shrugged, looking away for a moment. "It may have been a mistake. But he's not as broken now."

Closing his eyes, the Hokage nodded slowly. "I had heard about the incident at the gate. It seems he's become rather strong-willed, and confrontational."

Thinking back on the blonde, Jiraya only laughed. "No, he was always like that. No, what's different now is that he's more honest. Kumo has much different views than Konoha, regarding their demon containers. He learned to understand the difference between being accepted for who he is, and working to change himself or others for the same."

"I see," the Hokage murmured quietly. "Perhaps... perhaps time on a team will soften his anger." Seeing his former student's disbelieving look, the old man shrugged. "What else can I do? I cannot force him to love Konoha. Cannot order his loyalty. He felt and to some extent, was betrayed by what he sees as this place repeatedly. Only by seeing loyalty and trust returned to him will he come to expect it. I did not miss that you said nothing about his Will being restored."

The Sannin was openly skeptical. "Because it was never there in the first place," Jiraya countered, to the old man's shame. "And you think being on a Genin team will do that for him?"

"I can hope. What else is there to report?"

"Quite a lot, actually," Jiraya offered, pulling the Raikage's scroll from his pocket. "This, and an update from a little black bird."

–

Konoha had not changed a great deal. Other than a few obvious things and personal interests, he had little real interest in seeing the Village and its progress since he'd left. Namely on his list of things to catch up on, were his friends and family – as they were – and a few cursory rounds to refamiliarize himself with the Village Hidden among the Leaves. Naruto had felt some hesitation on leaving the Village long ago, mostly for the sake of the Tayuu Sakai who had harbored him even without the guise of Mei, but she had told him this was a chance he could not miss.

Besides, she had faith he'd return one day, and even if he didn't, she wasn't as limited in her actions and movements as a shinobi. She could leave whenever she liked, if a visit was in order.

Naruto was a bit irritated to know that his surrogate mother-figure was currently away at the capital, playing her political games with the Daimyo. He knew well enough from experience that the woman had to do so to maintain her ties and network, but the timing was just terrible. Rather than dwell on that, he took a tour of the market district, figuring if he was going to be working within Konoha for some time, he should at least familiarize himself with where to acquire things.

Thus began the first of three events that would shape the young Jinchūriki's return to Konoha.

Walking around more or less on instinct, the blonde found himself near his old apartment... or rather, where his old apartment should be.

The building had been condemned some time before he took over ownership, and wasn't located anywhere terribly useful. For that reason alone it had languished as a useful property until the former owners had sold it back to the Village proper. Time had taken a toll on the area, far from the mercantile and busier roads, letting seedier elements move in over time. He was thankful of that frankly, knowing he'd never had met the Tayuu otherwise.

His female persona and association with Tsuyu Sakai were a direct result of owning the building, after all. Naruto managed to wheedle out the funds for repairs and upkeep, but then had no ability to manage them. Retailers and suppliers wouldn't sell to him, and contractors wouldn't give him fair prices. So, he asked the Sandaime for some advanced training with Henge, to get around it. Civilians would be fooled by the skill well enough, he knew, so that should have been the end to it.

However, the Hokage's own lack of attention and focus resulted in his solid Henge skill, something he now knew related to the Kitsune yōki flowing through him. Learning on his own, frustrated and without supervision, he'd inadvertently tapped the Kyūbi. From that point forward, his transformations had been full, and complete. That, in turn, lead to Mei Tosaki. Mei was not his first female form – she had come later – but she was the one he defaulted to these days. Before, he'd used a number of personae, copied faces, and other tactics to make sure he could survive. If no one else would help him, he had to help himself, right?

So it was with some shock that Naruto saw that his home was gone, despite his absence, and replaced with what looked like a low-quality drinking hall. Idly, he tried to recall any information on property reclamation and dereliction, drawing a blank. He was too young to think on such things before. The complexity of fixing his home was mostly restricted to boarding up walls, replacing windows, and fixing pipes. It was irrational of him to hope that his home had remained there, after all this time, but then, hope often was. Feeling a sting of loss, he turned and figured it best to just move on – despite his desire to barge into the place where his home used to be and start demanding overdue rent.

His next defined stop wasn't so obvious. Some would have expected him to visit Ichiraku Ramen, but Naruto had barely had time to become fond of the small but welcoming food vendors before being spirited away. Others would have expected him to follow the patten he'd began, making his way to the Academy since he'd spent some of his youth there.

Doing none of the above, Naruto slipped into a shadow, emerging from the other side as Mei. Even if Jiraya and the Hokage were looking for Naruto, they'd never find their target as quickly this way. Dashing along the Shinobi Road – the rooftops above the streets – she made her way to the Nidaime's favored training area. Not much had changed, it being a mostly water-based training zone, an element few favored within Konoha. She had no affinity for it either, but it wasn't to train that she came to the distant and nearly forgotten locale.

Some time ago, when Naruto was refining and perfecting his female persona, the Tayuu had mentioned that meditating would help him focus. Not one to sit around idle easily, it took some work to find a way to keep himself centered and calm. Noticing that Naruto had better luck around her fountain, Sakai suggested he find other places with flowing water to help him. A few inquiries later lead him to the Second Hokage's favored training zone.

Happy that the place was more or less the way she remembered, Mei wandered about aimlessly, touching trees, and putting a few things back to rights that were unsettled. Tree limbs that had fallen were disposed of, some stones set back upright. There was a small bit of trash littered about, which she picked up and set aflame in a small pit, dug for that purpose. She buried the ashes, afterward.

Humming and concentrating, she settled on the shore, feet dangling into the water from the rock she perched on. Maybe an hour later, she stood and stretched, settling her feet on the water tentatively. Hopping down fully, she skidded and stumbled for a moment, unused to working with such still waters. The ports and piers around Lightning Nation were all bordered by the ocean, and so more often than not, rather more active than a lake fed by a single waterfall. Though, that left her with a lot of extra... focus. Considering it a moment, Mei grinned impishly, letting her chakra flow more strongly, as if buffering herself against strong waves.

With a spray of water, she went skidding across the lake, feet still and arms windmilling wildly. Pealing laughter belled about the clearing, as she experimented with her newfound – at least for her – skill. She was sure other ninja had managed this, definitely in Kiri, but for her it was new. Getting her balance right was hard, but she found 'stepping' into the motion helped keep her oriented properly.

Not terribly used to water walking yet, as it wasn't something she'd practiced much, and only recently, Mei found her focus flagging so cut her fun short, promising to come back later and pick it up again. Keeping her chakra control work fun was the best way to make sure she did such things, after all.

Finding that the little patch of peace and quiet still existed made the sting of losing the old apartment much less, so with a lighter heart, Mei hummed and walked toward the apartments she'd be sharing with Jiraya. Feeling more comfortable at the moment, considering Naruto's history within Konoha, as a female, she didn't bother switching guises.

Attention wandering and lost in thought, Mei turned a corner and slammed into someone else walking in her direction. Staggered and with a suddenly sore nose, the blonde girl glared about with watering eyes.

Sprawled out from the impact and glaring as well, Sasuke Uchiha looked up at the teenage girl who knocked him down. Opening his mouth to snipe about the girl being a clumsy civilian, he was unprepared for her to sneer down at him and simply walk by, with a muttered, "broody bastard," in passing.

Shaking off his momentary shock, the Uchiha scrambled to his feet, looking after the (supposedly) older blonde in muted confusion. The source of this of course could be traced to Konoha's citizenry itself.

To be blunt, they annoyed him. Externally, it would appear that Sasuke took advantage of constant praise and lauding that fell on him from the Leaf's non-shinobi populace, but the reality was much different. It was honestly just easier to go along with it, than try and disconnect himself fully from every corner and side. The Uchiha had a lot of allies and connections within Konoha, having been the base for the Military Police since its founding, and to fully understand them, he had to deal with the people on a regular basis. To do otherwise would be a discredit to his name, and though he had a goal to avenge his slain family, he also had a responsibility to that name as well.

He didn't like it, but it was a necessary evil. It was the same reason he didn't just start throwing the various fangirls out of windows. There were a lot of Uchiha families, before the Massacre, and now all those marriage and clan arrangements fell on him and him alone. It would be touchy, but one day he'd need to take on vassals and rebuild his clan, fulfilling those contracts and obligations. There was no way he could do it all on his own, after all. His clan would need those allies and favors later, dealing with the various Councils and situations that bound up the time of a clan head.

All this he knew, because he didn't trust anyone else to handle his clan business. He'd taken on some help early on, but released the clerk from his employ once he learned the man was working to undermine him for his own sake.

The ninja side of things was much easier to deal with, if a bit more tense. He still had the specter of his brother's genius looming over him, and now that it was so bloody, it was hard for Konoha shinobi to see him without imagining another Itachi or Madara. Regardless, shinobi of the Leaf were at least polite, knowing that like him, they had allies and connections to honor as well.

This all lead to a rather confused and unsure Sasuke, who stared after a blonde girl who apparently didn't care one whit for his name. Writing her off as a foreigner, he continued on his way to the Administration building. He needed to put a moratorium on a lot of his clan's actions officially for some time, as he was going to be joining a team soon and couldn't manage the time juggling. It was the beginning of his path for vengeance – he didn't have time to play house anymore. There would be time for that later.

Mei, on the other hand, found her good mood evaporating much like the water she'd shed from her skin with chakra earlier. If there was one person from the Academy Naruto had gotten along with so badly as to make him contemplate senseless violence against, it was Sasuke Uchiha. They'd been so alike, yet so different. Both alone, both lost in a world of danger and uncertainty. He'd reached out to the prodigy child long ago, but had been rebuffed as being just another nuisance, a piece of trash on the Uchiha's path that didn't warrant a second look.

That tentative kinship that could have grown in his mind had soured, and Naruto began seeing the Uchiha as his polar opposite. He had the world served to him on a platter, yet didn't appreciate any of it. In fact, he seemed to have nothing but disdain for people, regardless of how they treated him. Naruto's 'eye for an eye' bend to his treatment of others had left a rift between them, one that he'd happily let remain.

Dismissing the broody youth from her mind, Mei hurried back to the apartment she'd call home for a while yet. Jiraya was likely waiting, and she didn't want to annoy the man further today.

–

She had been wrong thinking Jiraya would be angry – the man looked exhausted. "Hey, Ero-Sennin, you going to be ok?"

Growling wordlessly at the girl's lack of respect, then again that Naruto was hiding as Mei, the older ninja just waved the question off. "It was a long meeting. Lot to go over."

Humming in a dissatisfied way, Mei set about organizing her side of the apartment. She noticed it was less a short-term type, and more like the ANBU dormitories near where Yugito lived back in Kumo. "What's with this place?" She wondered aloud, hoping to draw the Sannin out of his funk.

"You're new place," he grumbled in reply. "Sensei had to let your old apartment go – too much publicity. He's got what was left of your things stored somewhere. Just bother him about it sometime."

She waved the offer off. "Nah, I went by. It was odd, seeing it torn down, but I don't care really. As for the stuff, I don't think I left anything I'd want, but if I recall anything, I'll look him up."

Jiraya knew better, but didn't say anything further about it. "The meeting went well," he finally offered, stifling a yawn. "The old man will be contacting and working with the Raikage, and passing on the Lightning Daimyo's offer to the Fire Lord. Come time for the Chūnin exams, you should be able to see your kitty-cat again."

Mei snapped through a trio of seals, sending a tiny bolt of electricity at the lazing Sage, eliciting a yelp. "Don't call her that," the blonde groused, shaking a slightly smoking hand.

Rubbing his still-tingling shoulder, the Toad summoner glared at his charge. "Well, at least I'm not the only one to suffer. You're still having trouble with Lightning nature?"

"It's not one I can manage well," she noted, shrugging. "You know I'm fire and wind."

"Then why shock me, brat?"

Mei smirked. "You bitch less if I don't burn your clothes."

Blinking, Jiraya nodded at that. "True enough. Still," slapping feeling back into his arm, her grumbled mightily. "There is always the option of 'doing nothing'. That would leave us both without aftershocks."

"Yes, but much less vindicated," the blonde replied haughtily, sorting through ninja attire, and setting aside outfits. Jiraya noted with some annoyance that an even number were in a female style. "And," she pointed out, waving a kunai at the man in mock threat, regaining his attention, "you didn't answer my question. Why are we in dorms, not an apartment?"

Jiraya tossed the girl a small scroll. "Your dorm, now. The old man set you up here, seeing as you don't have a residence anymore."

Mei shrugged, snatching the scroll out of the air, making the Toad Sage wonder not for the first time on how Naruto could juggle the coordination not only to simply function in two radically different bodies so well, but to be ninja in them. "I was planning on getting a room at Sakai's place, honestly. She wasn't in today, though, so I guess I can manage here till she gets back."

Frowning, Jiraya spoke his peace on that topic. "I don't think it would be a good idea to do that. For one," he pointed out quickly, drowning out the blonde's arguments, "You need to be Naruto Uzumaki here. Not Mei Tosaki." Seeing the girl frown in turn, he pressed on, "Two, you don't want any of the fallout for what you do – and I know you've got something planned – blowing back on Sakai."

Conceding nothing, Mei shrugged. "I'll consider it." In truth, the second point hit a little too close to home. Plus, it would just be easier to concentrate on being a ninja from the dorms. As much as she'd like to just drown herself in old familiar territory, it wouldn't accomplish anything, and he did have a valid point. She'd still visit – but the dorms may just be safer, for everyone involved. "So, where are you going to be staying?"

The Sannin shook his head. "I'm not. I have to follow up on a lead. I'm leaving after your Genin test."

Eyes narrowed dangerously, Mei threw a pillow at the old ninja. She'd have used something pointy and sharp, but then he'd just pocket it. "A real one, this time?"

"Real and utterly vital," Jiraya grunted, swatting the pillow back at the blonde. "Unless you want to fly blind concerning the Akatsuki?"

Conceding defeat, Mei collected her pillow. "Fine, fine. Do you at least know who my new handler is going to be?"

"Handler?" Scoffing at the Kumo practice of having one Jōnin oversee students with high potential, Jiraya corrected the blonde, "No handler. Like I was explaining, you'll be on a team. Two other Genin, and a Jōnin."

"I was afraid of that," the apparent teenager moaned. "Who?"

Jiraya considered not telling her, and decided that was best. "You'll find out with everyone else. Speaking of," fishing a small scrap of paper from his pocket, he tossed it to the girl. "You're supposed to be at the Academy the day after tomorrow at eight AM sharp for your team assignment." Pausing to make sure his words carried, he concluded with some force, "As Naruto. Not Mei."

"Yeah, yeah," the blonde muttered, finally clearing off the single bed. "So, anything I should be looking out for?"

Humming, Jiraya rested his chin in a hand, pacing. "Sensei will likely ask you to his office later. Probably after your Genin test." He slit a gimlet eye at the girl. "Be polite."

Mei harrumphed.

"Other than that," looking displeased, he tossed the girl a storage scroll, confusing her. "A friend left you that. Look it over tonight or tomorrow. ...I have one thing I'd like to know before I leave you, though," the Sannin quietly wondered, leaning back against a wall. "You knew the Shadow Clone when we got to Kumo. I saw you use it during training and when I was working with you on your taijutsu. I never asked, as I remember how you reacted when I brought up Rieshu the first time, but... Did the Forbidden Scroll actually get destroyed? I know that's a technique listed there."

The blonde paused, going very, very still. "Yes," she finally answered, turning red-irised eyes on the Toad summoner. "Eventually. It's gone, just like Rieshu. Now, never," closing her eyes, the girl took hold of her anger visibly, reining in her chakra with effort. "Never ask me about that again."

Nodding, if not wholly satisfied, Jiraya pushed off the wall he leaned against. "I'm sorry, if it's any consolation. I would have handled things a lot differently."

"It wasn't your fault," the blonde muttered, the lack of anger leaving her feeling worn and empty suddenly. "You did what you could. If you hadn't come along, I'd have not met Yu-chan, and Bee-sama. So I'm grateful." Cracking a slight smile, she turned clear blues eyes the Sage's way. "Thanks, for that."

Clapping the girl on the shoulder, Jiraya returned her smile. "Not a problem. Now," clapping his hands, the Sannin's mood shifted hard into the positive. In a way, he knew he failed Sarutobi, but in return he did very well for his godchild. That was enough, he felt. "I have research to do, as it's my last day in Konoha for a while. Must catch up on 'recent developments', if you know what I mean."

Mei regarded the man with a deadpan expression. "Right. Check. No visit to the bathhouse tonight. Understood."

Eye twitching, Jiraya made his way out of the room. "See you 'round, kid."

"Yeah, see you later, Ero-Sennin," the blonde replied, a troubled look crossing her features. After some minutes, which she spent with her forehead against the door, Mei, muttered quietly to herself, "Even though we didn't say 'goodbye', it still felt..." shaking off her odd mood, she decided to get something to eat, before settling down to study the scroll Jiraya left.

–

Ration bar gripped between her teeth for convenient nibbling, Mei settled down to read, clad in her nightclothes. Seeing that Jiraya left her a small set of seal instructions, the blonde practiced a few times, till she felt comfortable enough not to need the guide.

"Huh," she muttered around her granola bar, after unsealing the much larger scroll. Superficially, it resembled Jiraya's own summoning scroll, only the colors and patterns were different. Where his was green with a red backing center, and seemed to be much, much longer based on the thickness of rolled silk, the one she held was somewhat more... sinister.

The spool was of dark wood, or wood that had been lacquered to an ebony shine, then carved with scenes of battle and carnage. It was rather morbid, if well and artfully done, and to protect the scroll's contents had a folding sheathe that latched shut, enveloping the whole with a pattern that resembled folded wings, wrapped around the bundle. Having worried at the latch for at least five minutes, she recalled that most summoning techniques required blood, and so used the sharp corner of an embossed feather to slit her thumb. With that, the latch snapped open, letting her inspect the scroll's contents. The silk itself was dark maroon, with a thicker center backing of rich vermillion, adding to the overall impression that the scroll summoned something unpleasant.

Regardless of its appearance, it was too big for her – or Naruto for that matter – to carry around like the Sannin did. Having seen a few summoning contracts, Mei knew this was one as well, but that Jiraya would just leave it with her didn't seem quite his style.

"Then again, he did say it was from a friend, not him," the blonde recalled. Shrugging, she unfurled the silk after settling the shell like a backing for it to lean on. The scroll's contents, the most recent at least, consisted of a list of names, printed in blood, with a flame-shaped imprint area beside for a hand-print. Skipping those for the moment, she scanned above the short list, noting a list of briefly but concisely listed techniques for use with the summoned familiars. The script for many near the scroll's origin was sharp and hard to read, but she made them out without too much trouble.

Picking out a critical character, Mei's eyes widened. "Ravens? How odd. Well, may as well introduce myself!" Quickly signing her name once again missing the previous ones, and placing her handprint on the contract, Mei slid to the floor. Grinning widely, she slashed her finger with a nail, then sped through the seals-

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram," she mouthed silently as she signed, before slamming her hand on the ground much as she'd seen Jiraya do. The blonde wavered for a second as an absolutely massive drain hit her chakra reserve, momentarily making her heart pound loud in her ears.

Though her chakra control was good, the bleed-off into smoke was still obscuring for a moment, till a pair of wings as large as she was flared, dispelling it. Blinking up at the massive bird, Mei noted with a little surprise that it wore jewelry. "Um. Hello," she offered somewhat lamely to the rather ornamented Raven.

The summon regarded her from amber-irised eyes, the silver and gold ornaments bound and wound in its feathers jingling lightly. Along its wings, the embellishments were less, but still very present, resembling cuffs along the larger joints. Tail feathers were painted in what appeared to be gold and silver patterns, complex and apparently layered, as the rather large blackbird flared them for a moment. Small noisy bangles adorned its claws, resting above wicked talons that glinted almost metallic in the room's light.

"Hrmm... ah. The Kitsune-kin. We've been waiting for you to call on us. On behalf of Yatagarasu Heika, I bid you welcome, newest of the Raven's favored." The summon's words were oddly inflected, almost archaic in flow and tone to Mei's ears, but seemed genuine, and if she didn't miss the timbre utterly, feminine.

Snapping out of her slight daze, Mei hopped to her feet, grinning widely. "Hi! I'm... well right now I'm Mei. Mei Tosaki." She checked the scroll to make sure she signed it as Naruto, then paused, paling rapidly as she noted her handprint. "Um. Is it ok that I signed my name – well my real name – but used this... um-"

The summoned Raven laughed. "You are truly lucky, like your essence belies. That you used your name, but this form's hand lets you bind both to the contract. Quite clever, and luckily for us, only one blessed of fox-blood could do so."

Mei mulled that over for a moment. "So... if I had signed it as myself, and printed that way too, I'd not be able to summon Ravens as I am now?"

The Blackbird cocked its head in a jingle of ornaments. "Have you no tutoring in your fox-magic?"

Suddenly uncomfortable, the blonde grasped for a change of subject. She knew it took some time to for a Jinchūriki to harness their Bijū's power, if they even could, and the truth of it was she was irritated at having to wait for her own advanced training. Plus, being called a fox-kin and what the Raven implied was a little unnerving. "So, ah. Oh, Yatagarasu Heika?" She queried, brows shooting up in surprise. "Emperor Yatagarasu?"

Nodding, the Raven produced a pendant, showing a rather intimidating silhouette of a Raven, face-on with wings outspread, bearing three crests in its claws, each marked with an indecipherable symbol and backed by a gold disc representing she supposed, the sun. Scrutinizing it, she realized the image had three legs, much like the raven that the summon's Emperor took its name from. Or, thinking about it a moment, perhaps the myth bore more truth than she knew. "Yes, the Raven Lord is called Emperor among our people, for it is he who took the burden of being the shadow of Amaterasu within Yōmi."

Piecing together what she knew of myth and legend, Mei paled. "He's the sun in the underworld!?"

Ruffling in a way that seemed to the blonde as proud, the Raven nodded once, "Yes, and as such, he will obviously not be available to you. Though there are many summon clans, and as you call them, boss summons among each, you do not see the true clan masters in this world." Cocking her head to the side, the Emissary, as Mei started thinking of the Raven before her, seemed thoughtful. "Ah, an example. The Toad clan. Gamabunta is well known in this world, yet he is not the master of the Toads. That would be a great and old Sage that stays hidden in their secret places."

Mei blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. That makes sense, after all. Why risk the leader?" Grinning, her enthusiasm at learning something new rekindling, the blonde bounced about a moment. "So! Um, Emissary-san, is there anything I need to do, now?"

The Raven lifted her wings at the address, resembling a shrug, but paused, relaxing afterward. "No, not now. It was by our request that you be contracted, so no test is needed. Yet. However, once you've gained more experience in this world of strife, the Heika will call on you." Feathers flaring out slightly, the Raven clacked her beak once, sharply. "And my name is not Emissary."

Wrinkling her nose, the blonde rested her fists on her hips, "Well, I introduced myself, why didn't you?"

Irritated, the Raven hopped once. "I was passing on my fa- er. The Emperor's greeting!" Clacking her beak again, the Blackbird looked to the side, muttering. "I always mess up that part, kruuahh."

Mei stifled a giggle. "Are you sulking?"

"I am not!"

"You are too!"

Hopping again and flaring her wings, the Raven huffed and chattered in a low, grinding tongue before settling. "Fine, fine. Yes I forgot. I'm still not the best at this sort of thing, never being summoned before you know." Then, a large black wing was stabbed in the Jinchūriki's direction. "And! You were supposed to be a boy!"

Eyes wide, Mei just managed not to giggle again as the Raven went on about getting dressed up. "Um. You still haven't introduced yourself, you know."

Raising a wing to obscure her face, the Raven sighed. "Right." Straightening, the ornamented summon regarded her levelly. "My name is Kurohane, of the Akehane Tengu." All pretense of stature discarded, the Raven cawed forlornly. "And why aren't you a boy?"

Rolling her eyes, Mei let the shift sweep over her, shimmering for a fraction of a second until Naruto stood there in her place. "There, better?"

Kurohane's eyes took on a distinctly predatory gleam. "Yes. Much."

Suddenly nervous, Naruto took a step back. "Er..."

–

For no apparent reason at that moment, Yugito Nii had the distinct urge to find the nearest black bird and eat it. Slowly. By pieces. Seeing the glint in her eyes, her current sparring partner backed away. Sadly, he forgot that a predator's vision was often based in motion.

–

One would think, given the boisterous nature of youth and the enthusiasm of young ninja to learn and practice their arts, that Naruto would spending his day doing just that.

He was not, however, a typical youth. Oh, he planned to practice, but there were other things to handle first. Morning found the Kyūbi Jinchūriki returning just as the markets had began their full day's work, having gone out in the earliest traces of dawn to do his shopping. Food markets were best to peruse at the earliest, when the vendors weren't too attentive to their prices, sleepy, and the goods their freshest. He missed the fresh fish available in Lightning Nation, but figured the fowl and boar and deer local to Konoha's forests would prove palatable.

The lack of as much rice, and prodigious amount of other grains he was more hesitant of. Breads and pastries seemed a large part of the Fire Nation native's diet, and to Naruto who'd spent the last three years training his body and working as a recruit-made-apprentice, the difference in diet worried him. Still, he'd spoken with and gotten assurances from the merchants on the value of the foodstuffs he'd bought, even going so far as to pick up his own bread maker.

He'd try that out some other time.

Putting his things away, the blonde spared his icebox a slight growl. Like commercial apartments, the shinobi condominiums had seen their share of tenants over the years. Unlike normal renters, shinobi were not as welcoming of people walking around in their space. It was no surprise to him, then, to see the icebox struggling to function, rattling and huffing its last few months away.

Mouth pulled into a fine line, Naruto settled his groceries on the counter. "Swear, if it's not one thing..." Padding back to his bedroom, he collected the scroll and brush set that he used on the field, a gift from Jiraya, though the blonde had put more use into it than the old hermit had realized.

"Sealing is the duct tape of the ninja world," the old Sannin had said to him once. Seeing that it was truth, watching the Toad summoner go about his days, Naruto spent some time learning the rudiments of sealing as well. He was no prodigy, no genius or natural at it, but he also wasn't a slouch.

A few deft twists of his brush, one crumpled up mistake, and a little chakra, resulted in a small scrap of silk with what looked like three circles, all bound together with twisty lines and characters. "Water and wind filters for the element, and a Yin polarizer for the finish..." elemental conversion seals weren't easy, but then again, he wasn't trying for battle-grade output. Just a mimic of what he'd seen Jiraya do a few times over their travels. The Toad Sage was good enough to scribe such seals with a single touch, which he abused often when it came to beverages he preferred cold.

Grudgingly, Naruto admitted – to himself only – that the man's lifestyle did have some positive influence.

A sticking seal painted on the interior of his icebox and... "Huh. It worked? Cool." Grinning at his pun, Naruto filled his now-functional icebox. He'd have to recharge the seal every few days, but that wasn't a concern. Kicking the plug from the wall, he reveled in the sudden silence the machine's absence left.

It lasted five minutes. Grimacing, he shook his head, "Too quiet."

Moving helped Naruto think. It was just how he learned, how his mind engaged. Sitting and studying scrolls did little to urge him on to scholarly acclaim, but to see something applied, just once, would ignite a fire most found intimidating.

Once Jiraya learned his, Naruto began the steps to being a true force to be reckoned with. It also shed light on the youth's tendency to seek out physical outlets for his moods. Currently introspective and more than a little anxious about his future, Naruto wanted nothing else but a long day of training, practice, and refinement of his skills.

The problem with this, of course, was that Naruto had no desire to display those same skills. "Can't be helped," he muttered, dressing to go train. He topped the mesh underlayer with a sleeveless deep-red tank top that exposed his midriff, and a pair of loose cargo pants with the lower legs tied down with his armored winding. More was applied to his hands and forearms. As a final thought, he tied the forehead protector he'd picked up in place, before tossing a few bottles of water and some ration bars in his thigh pouch. Eyes narrowing in thought, he cursed. "No idea where I can train," he groused, making his way out regardless.

There was always the option of the Nidaime's lake, but he'd rather that place remain... peaceful. If he trained there, there was a good likelihood there'd be damage to the area, and that would ruin the location, for him. That much resolved, Naruto made his way to the Academy with a frown, hoping to convince one of the proctors there to direct him to a place he could use.

Seeing the Academy again, he had to wrench himself free of old memories, though his tension was apparent in the heavy steps he took, despite being barefooted. Reaching an area that looked like reception or administration, he addressed the Leaf Chūnin manning the duty table. "Excuse me. I'm looking for a little help."

The man looked up, blinking rapidly to clear his vision and memory of the statistics he was doing on a set of abacus and a calculator. "Oh. Sorry, what can I do for you?"

"I need the location of an unused training ground," Naruto requested politely, offering a slight bow after.

The Chūnin's response was cut off by a shouted greeting to Naruto's right. "Uzumaki? Naruto Uzumaki?"

Grimacing, the blonde turned, regarding the speaker, not missing the administrative assistant's widened eyes. "Yes?"

The man in question was a Chūnin of early years, maybe twenty if Naruto had to guess. Wearing standard attire for a Leaf ninja of his rank, the man regardless had his shirt untucked, and a scar across his nose, parallel to the ground, giving him a somewhat rakish air. Although he had greeted the youth, the man didn't look very pleased to see him. "I wasn't expecting you till tomorrow," he mentioned in a clipped tone.

Naruto regarded the man with narrowed eyes, obviously not the reaction the proctor, as his badge identified him, expected as he drew back unsteadily. "I am not here for the Academy," he replied coolly, returning his attention to the attendant. "Can you direct me to a suitable location?"

Fidgeting under the Jinchūriki's gaze, youth or not, the assistant started looking over a sheet that was before him. His actions halted when a growl sounded from before him.

Iruka Umino was used to unruly children, from all walks of life. Clan heirs, branch house Hyūga, haughty Uchiha, amicable and sometimes frightened children of civilians all made the list. He dealt with all of them. Not used to being dismissed offhand as the demon container had, however, he'd moved up an put a hand on his shoulder, to get his attention, "Hey-"

"Don't touch me, Leaf ninja," Naruto growled, turning his head only far enough to regard the Chūnin with a sidelong glare.

Drawing his hand back as if burned, Iruka blinked at the young man before him. Unsure what to say, his previous anger draining away at the violent and spiking ire that his simple gesture caused, as well as the blonde's address, he cleared his throat. "Ahm. That is, why don't you come and meet your class early? If you were planning on training, that is. We're about to have taijutsu assessment in the main yard."

Naruto stared blankly at him, before nodding once. Turning to the administration Chūnin, he bowed slightly. "My apologies, and thank you for the assistance."

Making a snap decision, the man called out as the two left, "Fifteen. Past the market square east, the north five minutes."

Turning, Naruto flashed the man a genuine smile, "Thank you!"

Walking beside the Chūnin, whom he learned was named Iruka Umino, Naruto was not surprised to be immersed in tense silence. It stretched on, showing no indication of lessening, until the man coughed, as seemed his habit for beginning such things, "So, you've trained outside of Konoha for the last three years?"

Blue eyes assessing, Naruto nodded once, guardedly. "Yes. I have been... abroad."

Not getting a straight answer, Iruka frowned slightly. "I see. Can you give me a rough idea of your taijutsu level? So I know who to place you against."

Considering it a fair question, Naruto scowled slightly. "With no augmentation, perhaps low C-rank. With augmentation, B to A-rank." Naruto paused, noticing his companion had halted a few steps back. "Yes?"

Iruka shook off his surprise. "Ah. Nothing." Scratching at the back of his head lightly, he frowned. "Explain what you mean by 'augmentation'."

Naruto made a low humming sound, resembling a light growl or purr. Iruka blinked at the sound in surprise. "I suppose it won't matter, soon. I trained with a teacher that used a mesh of ninjutsu and taijutsu. Augmented means I'm using chakra techniques to supplement my taijutsu."

Not prepared for a demon container that was well-spoken, if gruff, or capable, Iruka frowned slightly. "You said B to A-rank? How is that possible?"

"Wind and fire," Naruto answered simply, staring flatly ahead and offering nothing more. "So, for today at least, low C-rank. I have no intention on making the bigoted population of Konoha any more mindless than they already are, by accidentally killing some clan's bratty spawn."

Iruka halted again, stunned. "H-hey now! What does that mean?"

Sighing, Naruto turned and regarded the man as if he were simple. "I am a Jinchūriki," he said slowly, tapping his forehead protector, bearing the word 'sacrifice' in an archaic script. Seeing the proctor's suddenly pale face, the blonde suppressed a smirk. "Which you are no doubt aware of already."

"I, well." Coughing again, Iruka nodded. "Yes, the adults are. That doesn't explain what you said, though."

Mouth pulled into a fine line, Naruto turned and continued in the direction they'd been walking, seeing as it was a doorless hall. The instructor's words were clear enough – Konoha's children weren't made aware of his state. "I grew up here, remember. I'm not stupid. If anyone would know about Konoha's shortcomings and biased nature, it's me."

Feeling somewhat subdued by the frank and brutal assessment, as well as somewhat cowed by the Jinchūriki's attitude, Iruka didn't respond. Instead he simply walked beside the blonde, shooting him worried looks now and then. If Naruto noticed he said nothing. Before they left the Academy building to join the students in the main yards, Naruto took off his forehead protector. When Iruka quirked a brow, the youth shrugged, "Would seem presumptuous."

"Why do you wear it, then? It's not a Village symbol."

Naruto's smile was secretive. "It's a promise I made."

Confused, the instructor could do nothing but shrug. "Alright. Well, here we are."

With a slight flourish, Naruto was lead into the yard, where the other students his age were arrayed in a loose mob. "Go take your place with them. I'll call on you," Iruka guided, motioning him on.

He was surprised when the boy bowed slightly, eyes never leaving him. "Thank you, Umino-san. I am in your hands."

Iruka could only blink at the boy's rather confusing manners. First he was threatening, then blunt and frank to the point of making him speechless, then polite?

He needed a drink, later. First however... "Alright you brats!" He yelled out over the yard, gaining the attention of all there. Some watched the blonde moving toward them with open curiosity, some didn't bother. Iruka noted one observing Naruto with open shock. "Taijutsu assessment and practice! I'll introduce our new student later, to those who don't bother to meet him while you're not in the circle. Till then..."

Names were called, and students sparred. He kept a wary eye on the demon container, who seemed well-enough mannered, if impatient. It made sense, considering he'd kept the youth from his own training, apparently. Deciding to test him a bit, he called, "Akimichi, Choji! Uzumaki, Naruto!"

Naruto didn't hesitate to step forward, bending a few times to loosen up as the Akimichi boy joined him. Choji was a well-mannered and fairly pleasant youth, and greeted the blonde amicably. Somewhat surprised, Naruto returned the greeting, if somewhat stiltedly.

"So, you're new?" the pudgy boy asked, putting away his chips.

Nodding, Naruto tested his foot wrappings briefly. "Yes. I'll be placed tomorrow with a team."

Choji blinked. "Wow, that's fast. Are you good?"

Smiling slightly, if genuinely, Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I am."

"Alright!" The large boy exclaimed, "then I won't hold back!"

Sliding up into an unfamiliar stance – at least to the prospective Konoha Genin and their instructors, Naruto returned his enthusiasm, "Come on then! Lets get started!"

Choji paused for only a second, assessing Naruto's strange stance. Unlike the Konohaken, the Leaf-style taijutsu taught at the Academy, Naruto stood with one foot forward and balanced on the ball and toes, the other back foot and his body following a slight angle away. Both arms were raised, the left at a vertical, right slightly lower and before his face. As the larger boy moved in to close, Naruto snapped forward launching off his back leg unexpectedly, catching the portly boy in the stomach with his forward leg in a brutal straight strike.

The combined velocity threw the Akimichi back hard, winding him, as Naruto resumed his stance, looking for all the world as if he simply took a really big step. Which, technically, he did – it just happened to have Choji in the way. Shaking it off, the Konoha boy grunted. "Ow."

"You alright?"

Choji nodded, approaching more cautiously, his guard up this time. "Yeah. That was quick."

Naruto laughed lightly, using his raised forearms to ward off a small flurry of heavy blows from the boy. "Yeah, it's not my favorite style, but it works." He retaliated to a kick by raising his own front leg, taking the impact across his shin. People around the two winced, but Naruto made no gesture of pain. Instead, he used the momentum to swap his hip position, twisting into a low roundhouse that caught the larger boy on the shoulder, sending him stumbling away.

Grunting and getting his bearings, Choji put up a defensive block. "Show me some offense."

Nodding, Naruto closed with a pair of short snap kicks, one at body, the next at head level from that same leg. Before he'd chambered to recover, he snapped out a left elbow, catching Choji on his off side, cracking him in the jaw. Immediately, the blonde backed off. "You good?"

Shaking his head, the large boy dropped his stance, looking dazed. "Nah, rattled. Good run though. What is that?"

Dropping his own stance, Naruto looked pensive. "Eh. It's foreign. Raiashi."

"'Lightning movement'?" Iruka asked, having watched the frankly impressive match. "That's..."

"Kumo's standard unarmed style, yes," Naruto finished for the man, noting the sharply hissed gasp coming from someone to his left. When he looked, he didn't see the source.

Making a quick decision, the Chūnin nodded once. "Would you mind working with a few people? Just small spars, to demonstrate the Raiashi style?"

Pensive, Naruto shrugged. "Sure. It's not my main, and I only know the basics." He didn't add that what he did know, wouldn't prove a threat against Kumo. Their refined style was much more fluid and advanced, making his own adopted version seem rough, if effective.

Deciding on a more challenging opponent, Iruka picked a boy who was practically bouncing to come up, waving a few others aside to practice, whom he knew would gain little to nothing from the displays. "Kiba, you next."

"Alright! You're going down, blondie!"

"Kiba!" Those nearby jerked to a halt at the Chūnin's terse counter. "This is a spar. Medium contact."

The feral boy whined and rolled his eyes, "Awe, c'mon..."

Naruto spared the scene a slight smile. "If he wants to go all out..."

Iruka coughed, looking uncomfortable. "Ah, that is-"

Sparing the Jinchūriki a wide grin, the Inuzuka nodded, "You bet!"

"Umino-san," the blonde prompted the sputtering Chūnin, "I hereby authorize my consent to participate in lethal-force practices, as per the Konoha Academy Charter, under the single-survivor of clan clause."

Going very still, the proctor looked between the boys warily. "Ah, Uzumaki..."

Gesturing to the now nervous feral boy, Naruto continued, "He's signed all the paperwork, or had it approved already, right? He had to, to enter. I haven't, and seeing as I'm the last of my clan..."

Blinking, the Chūnin relaxed, "Oh. Right. Standard forms..."

Nodding, Naruto looked back to the confused Inuzuka. "I never officially entered the Academy. No permission slip."

Laughing for a few seconds, Kiba relaxed. "Oh, right, right. Yeah, mom took care of that years ago."

A little wistful, Naruto smiled back. "Must be nice. Inuzuka clan?"

"You bet!" The boy exclaimed, taking his clan's stance in reply.

"I may look you up sometime," Naruto mused, snapping into his own form. "Ready?"

"Lets get wild!"

Something about Kiba's energy reminded Naruto of Killer Bee, and with a genuine smile, he threw himself into the spar. Unlike Choji's method, which was endurance and power, Kiba was a strength and agility fighter, using his speed to open holes in an opponent's defense, to exploit.

On a strictly point-to-point for hit comparison, Naruto was losing, badly. However, the Raiashi style he employed wasn't based on normal mechanics. He purposefully took hits that normal people would cringe at, knowing his more resilient frame could take much more damage. To augment that, he'd spent a lot of his first year in Kumo doing the endurance training for Raiashi. Most of that involved taking almost crippling hits to his forearms and shins repeatedly, until they became almost as good as armor on their own.

Thus, Kiba found himself confused and somewhat put off, as his flurry of strikes went totally without benefit, as Naruto blocked anything that came near with solid blocks from either arm or lifted leg, despite what he knew was cumulative damage. The blonde's arms and legs were bloody, even! But he showed no sign of faltering. "Huh, what the-"

Naruto, taking advantage of his pause, took that moment to strike back. Snapping his left arm from its blocking position, he caught the other boy in a light grapple, jerking his head forward into the blade of his right forearm. It was quick, unexpected, and practically reflexive in speed and movement.

The single strike was immediately effective, as demonstrated by the crunch of cartilage from Kiba's now broken nose, and his pained howl. Disengaging, Naruto dropped his stance. "Do you have medics?"

Iruka nodded, as one of the Chūnin on duty came in to heal the minor break. "That was a very impressive defense. Why did you chose that method?"

The blonde sighed. "Raiashi isn't my strong point. I did the training mostly to supplement my endurance regimen, so most of what I do know revolves around defense and counters. I can ignore a lot of damage, and Kiba wasn't expecting me to simply shrug him off."

"He gets a bit excited."

Naruto chuckled quietly. "I noticed. Once he gets a bit of discipline, he'll be a formidable opponent."

Iruka raised a brow at the assessment. "That doesn't sound like an Academy student talking."

Looking back up at the Chūnin, Naruto regarded the man with a strange light in his eyes. "Do you train ninja here, Umino-san?"

Irritated at the sudden question, the Chūnin scoffed, "Well, of course. What else would we be doing?"

"So, lessons involve tactics for efficient assassination, spying, stealth, and infiltration – not just history, records of ninja battles, and theory?"

Pausing, the Academy instructor felt he knew where this was going, and didn't like it at all. He noted that the other students nearby were listening in as covertly as they could, "Well, not so much on the practical side. The Hokage and Councils have determined the best curriculum for our upcoming ninja, and I stand behind their decisions."

Naruto made a light hum, shaking his head. "I see. Well, I trained with people who didn't sugar-coat my world." Tapping his forehead, where Iruka recalled his strange emblem to have rested, the boy spared him a sardonic grin. "I can't afford to live in one like that. I've learned to look for the long view."

"The long view, huh?"

"It's a school of thought," the blonde muttered, shrugging. "To see not just what's before you, but beyond you, then beyond that. To understand reasons, causes, the very base of things. Turned around, you can plan out things very far, once you get a good grasp of the basics."

Iruka regarded the boy, seeing him in a slightly more favorable – verging on neutral – light. "Another Kumo idea?"

Barking a slight laugh, the Jinchūriki nodded. "Guilty as charged."

The Academy instructor nodded absently, seeing one of the students eying the blonde in an almost hungry light. Deciding to throw caution to the proverbial wind, he grinned down at the Jinchūriki. "Up for one more?"

"Sure."

"Uchiha, Sasuke! In the circle, if you please."

Naruto should have known this was going to happen. He wasn't the best pure taijutsu fighter in the yard – honestly, Choji was better, despite his quick end to the match. His apparent strength came from the fact most of those around him had no clue about what Raiashi was about, the movements, or the strikes – had he been using his augmented styles however... Though, he had to admit, it should prove as a good lesson for the prospective Leaf ninja. New technique exposure was always a good thing.

One might have considered he would be in the same situation, being in an unknown school defending against an unknown style, but for one simple problem. His primary teacher of ninja skills was Jiraya. Most of his self training wandered in strange directions, like his preference on the nintaijutsu he favored, as well as the time he spent on Raiashi and its preparatory systems. Time with Jiraya however showed him the Konohaken style, as well as his own memories of such, from the first few years he spent at the Academy.

Frankly, he had them at a disadvantage. Sasuke, however, would be a problem.

Like him, the Uchiha had their own style. He knew this, because during his first year, the rather haughty and aloof Massacre survivor would brag and look down at his peers, after doing much the same as he had.

Despite those thoughts, Naruto took his form quietly, no outward sign of his inner anxiety and irritation. As expected, the Uchiha lead off the match with a scoff and snide remark. "You're not very good at that style," he observed frankly, eyes cold.

Naruto simply smiled. "No, I'm not."

His unbalancing tactic a flat failure, the Uchiha frowned. The blonde chuckled, rankling him. "What? You think this is funny? You're a joke, parading around like that."

"Then come get the punchline, remnant."

Sasuke and the entire yard went deathly still at that. After a moment of tense silence, the dark-eyed boy growled out a terse, "What was that?"

Deciding turnabout was fair play, Naruto began the spar while his opponent was off balance, continuing their verbal fencing during. "I said," he jabbed short, pushing the Uchiha's defense into place. "That you were," a kick from the Uchiha was met with a raised shin, and Sasuke winced as his own made contact, unused to having the same impacts from his attack being deflected so short. "Just a remnant," Naruto finished, spinning and striking with a back-elbow, following the move with a dropped arm that pulled Sasuke into a grapple, which let him raise a flash knee strike into the boy's sternum.

Gasping and growling, the Uchiha got his bearings, ignoring the pain in his chest. Foregoing words and insults, his eyes showed nothing but rage. Naruto welcomed him, grinning with a manic edge.

Pushing the blonde's own defense, Sasuke got three good strikes in, stinging Naruto's ribs once, twice, then going for his kidney. The first two bloomed a web of pain in his side, but didn't stagger the Jinchūriki. The last he took on purpose, using the lead-in to place another swift knee-strike to the boy's chest, capitalizing on his previous hit to further weaken the dark-eyed boy.

Naruto had a clear advantage as far as stamina went, which disappointed him. He knew in an attrition spar, he'd win easily. Oh, he'd come out black and blue, but he'd come out of it. As far as points, the Uchiha was a hands-down winner, however. Sasuke had great precision – it just didn't work to keep a defense up against him. It took a lot of evasion and movement to keep the Uchiha from doing serious damage, even with a minor opening. Naruto was fairly sure once he learned more about Raiashi, Sasuke would be wiping the floor with him.

He didn't feel like giving him that chance today, however. The Uchiha, eyes going a bit wild with his anger that his opponent wasn't proving easy prey, struck fast and hard at the Jinchūriki's face, which Naruto countered by simply pushing at the offending hand, running his own down the back, from knuckle to shoulder. The pressure made Sasuke's punch go wide, which left the Uchiha wide open. A quick jab to the chin from his still-posed hands rattled the dark haired boy, opening him for the finish.

Naruto mimicked his earlier grapple with Kiba, only this time with both hands. Bending his knees low, Naruto kicked up hard with his back leg, meeting the leading one halfway. At the same time, he bent the Uchiha down by pushing hard and using his own shoulders to propel the attack, with his hands wrapped around the other boy's neck and head. In a split second, Naruto brought both knees up, slamming the Uchiha hard in the eye-sockets.

There was a hush over the yard as the last Uchiha wailed and rolled around on the ground, screaming about his eyes. Iruka looked incensed, but Naruto waved him off. "I hit him in the upper-ocular ridge, above them," he soothed, directing his words to the medic Chūnin who was glaring murder at him. "He'll have bruises, but no damage. Don't worry, I'm not going to harm your precious little prince, or his oh-so precious eyes."

Far from satisfied, the man did his own examination, while Iruka pulled Naruto to the side. "What the hell was that?"

Naruto regarded the instructor's practically yelled words with a cold glare. "What? I countered with equal force."

"Equal my ass!"

In reply, Naruto just pulled up his shirt, displaying an angry purple and red blotch that ran up half his side. In response, Iruka and a few of the nearby students sucked in a breath. For his part, the blonde merely pulled his shirt back down. "Two strikes – one to crack, one to compound fracture a rib." He leaned forward, face bent into a snarl. "I went easy on the little prick. So don't fucking push me, you Konoha-" Sucking in a hissed breath, the blonde snapped his mouth shut, before he said something he may later regret.

Turning on his heel, Naruto decided he was done with the Academy for the day. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his forehead protector, looking up in time to meet the angry and defiant gazes of two young women. Not feeling the most amicable or friendly, Naruto glared back, "What?"

His barked question seemed to cow the other blonde, but the one with shocking pink hair only got more livid. "What the hell were you doing, hurting Sasuke-kun!?"

The shrill girl's attitude irked him, and he counted down from ten silently before bothering to reply. "Sparring. In case you missed the point," he snapped, gesturing to the yard.

Infuriated, she made as if to punch him in the head, only it didn't go quite as planned. Naruto caught the offending hand by the wrist, jerking down as he dropped to his knees, pulling the girl into a sharp forward bend, using his own body as a fulcrum. The end result was a startled yelp, and a pink-haired girl being flipped onto her back, as her momentum was used against her. Dazed, she looked up at the cold blue eyes regarding her from what seemed like high above. "What were you trying to do? That was... terrible."

Irritated by the blonde's attitude, she could only muster the energy to glare and bite out a quick insult. "So, now you're picking on girls? Pretty low."

Naruto leaned close, startling her. "You think I'm picking on you?" He laughed, rising and starting to walk off. "You're a ninja. Fucking act like it."

Iruka felt lost, as if he'd completely failed to control his class. Only as he dismissed the medic did he recall Naruto's injury, and how he'd not even bothered to get it looked at. Cursing himself for what he knew was the ugly face of his bias showing up, the Academy instructor made a decision to try and do better by the demon container, if only to see where his anger came from. Something about it reminded him of his own rage, years after losing his parents and ending up in a cold, unfeeling world. Maybe he could offer the young man an ear, when he needed it.

Or maybe he'd just glare at him in that cold way that made you feel three inches tall, Iruka mused. Either way, tomorrow promised to be interesting, at least.

–

"Well, that was two hours wasted," Naruto growled angrily, following the directions past the market district to training area fifteen. Not only did he completely screw up and end up showing off, which was a huge black mark in his book, but whatever calm he'd had that morning was shot to hell from dealing with Konoha ninja and ninja wannabes all morning. Though he didn't have nearly the low opinion of his generation that he did of the older ones, there was a maturity gap between himself and what he saw as a bunch of kids playing ninja.

He knew it wasn't Kumo's teaching style that changed him, so much as dealing with the truth of his nature, his early losses in Rieshu and his home, and learning under older shinobi who regarded him as an equal. Untrained and undisciplined, but an equal, not in ability, but in spirit. It was why he wore the symbol he did. His people were the Jinchūriki. His family.

Training ground fifteen was a large, barren, mostly empty area, living up to its purpose as a practice area for ninja to let loose. For what Naruto had in mind, it was more or less perfect.

Dropping his pack, he pulled out a single storage seal and made a shadow clone. The clone immediately popped the seal, pulling out a rather ungainly koto, a stringed instrument commonly seen within places like the Tayuu's houses, then shifted into Mei's form. Settling nearby but out of the way, she began tuning the instrument while Naruto stretched and tested his recently broken rib.

Finding it passable, he called out a signal to his clone. Breathing in deeply, he tapped his chakra and coaxed it up, much like performing a jutsu, but without the release state. Exhaling, he swept into the first form of the Makaze Kata, his wind-style nintaijutsu.

At first glance, the movements seemed chaotic and without form, following no set pattern, flowing from motion to motion quickly and without pause. His feet never fully left the ground at this stage, moving in a rapid but smooth glide that took him in circles rapidly, following the haunting and halting tune played by his clone. Pausing, Naruto nodded and made a third clone. Without a word, the two began.

The purpose of the styles movements became apparent with an opponent. Each strike was bent, pushed, and redirected, all in great arcs of force. Counter-attacks were instant, often taking place from behind, as the original Naruto used the clone's motion and attacks to spin and turn it, or to direct himself behind it with ease.

With a change in the music, taking a more rapid and harried cadence, Naruto made a mass of clones, that instantly converged on his position. The second form was less passive, channeling wind directly into and with strikes, not a true ninjutsu but also not pure taijutsu. Wind nature being the edge of a blade, most strikes were enough to 'fatally' disrupt the clones, which was the goal. This was aided by the movements themselves, made to harness and use the free-form wind that his chakra shaped. Blades of air and arcs of force followed his motions in a pale-edged flurry that chased after the blonde like afterimages. Lashing out in vast circular strikes, Naruto lost himself in the movement and mindset of the Makaze Kata, the Demon Wind Form.

By the time he was down to the last few clones, Naruto was beaten and unsteady, but resolute. They knew what he did – he could just take more hits. One doppelganger closed too quickly, and in return, Naruto took his strike and stepped into it, redirecting the initial thrust with an outside block. Inertia and his own motion left him at the clone's back, and he followed with a vicious downward sweep, trailing a blade of wind that split the clone's spine in half, for a brief moment exposing nerve and bone before it dissipated with a 'whuf' of released chakra.

The next was dispatched by a drill of wind, spun up from the motion of Naruto's arms as he rose from his latest 'kill'. Thrusting his hand out from him, the clone was torn apart at two meters off, leaving the Jinchūriki in a wide, apparently open position. It was, of course, a lie.

A flying kick aimed for his head was ducked below, as he slid back and kicked, following with a second strike with the other leg after. The dual-strike upset the clone's motion, first with a solid impact, then the second with a vicious counter that would have broken bones.

He and his final clone squared off nearby, by long agreement, using the same methods he did. Winds clashed from gathering strikes, palm thrusts, and kicks that weren't quite close enough to hit directly, but weren't intended to anyway. Blades of wind trailed thrust hands, while gale surges followed heels as the two spun in a paired whirlwind of violence. The clone stumbled on a maneuver, letting its defense down, a fatal error.

Naruto was inside its guard immediately, rotating his torso in a tight arc that let him hold and condense a shockwave of pressure in his hands. With a surge and cry of release, the compressed winds were loosed but only after the dual-palm strike, wrists clasped together as if manacled, impacted the clone's stomach.

There was a momentary spray of chakra-laden smoke from the fake's back, as the clone disassembled itself, its form destabilized before the technique registered fatal damage.

Not even pretending to rent a shred of dignity, Naruto fell backwards and panted, all but exhausted for the moment. The style was lossy and wasteful, if effective and gratifying. Ninjutsu carefully channeled chakra, forming it into a specific way, before expelling it or cycling it through controlled channels. Those techniques were precise, efficient, and direct.

Makaze Kata was utterly the opposite. Naruto more or less shoved chakra around like a kid in a pool trying to swim. Focus was key, as was controlling his movements, but with his chakra control always being an uphill battle, the Demon Wind Style allowed him a form of taijutsu and ninjutsu combined that did the work of both, with devastating effect, and a minimum need of control. His chakra's affinity supplied the work, naturally forming into wind with only a gentle push. All he had to do then, was direct the force through his style, and into his opponent.

Like his use of Kage Bunshin, the wind-based taijutsu would be impossible for just about anyone but a Kage or Jinchūriki. The best part was, even as inefficient as throwing buckets of water on a forest fire would be as Jiraya had commented on the style, any bleed-off of chakra actually worked for him.

Air was everywhere. His chakra aligned the air to his favor, and the more and longer he fought with the style, the greater his range, damage, and power became. With enough time, he hoped to be able to dominate small units of ninja just by saturating the air, then moving to engage, trailing tornadoes and hurricanes in his wake.

The style had glaring flaws. Any fire jutsu directed in his immediate area would flare up by an insane ratio, feeding on the charged air. If he didn't react in time, it would turn into a firestorm wholly out of his control. Restricting his movement also worked to neutralize the style, as it took his whole body to truly mold the charged winds properly. It was also about as stealthy as throwing a brick through a window.

He was lucky, considering the weakness wind nature had to fire, that fire was his other nature.

A few minutes of rest was all he needed to recover, and then it was back to work, this time on the Kanan Kata, his fire form. Rather than the flowing and mobile Makaze, the Kanan was a harsh, fierce style that moved quickly, but not for the sake of motion itself. Each strike pulled his body, realigned him, forced his center and then base to shift. Those shifts he then used to power the attacks that snapped out and left the air dry and crackling with chakra.

He couldn't manifest fire from his Kata or chakra yet, as his control and focus weren't great. However, that didn't mean he couldn't use it, if it was already there. While he had been resting, the clone he'd assigned to use the koto had started a rather large bonfire. As Naruto flashed and stepped through his exercise, he focused on the fire, on his chakra, and drawing the nature up, letting it spark and rage in him.

The change was subtle, but definite. The blonde's motions became more fluid, but fiercer. On their own, the strikes were devastating, if incomplete from a bystander's point of view. Once the fire had reached the proper intensity however, Naruto shifted his form and snapped a hand toward the crackling flames. A serpentine whorl of red and heat answered, and he pivoted, gathering then throwing it like a spear as the Kata continued.

Motions were timed, and not hindered by his need to gather the fire he used. A handstand kick was followed by a scooping twist of his leg, trailing flame as it was hurled in a wicked arc. Blistering flurries of punches were broken by blocks that coiled fire like a long scarf around him. Eventually, the Kata became self contained, as his chakra stabilized the fire around him, sustaining it as it coiled and winded about the Jinchūriki, feeding him the needed element for his attacks. The flaming wheel settled behind him, as his chakra took control finally, manifesting the first stable and maintained release. As he continued, the wheel would spin about, sometimes around him like a ring, sometimes being brought to bear like a weapon. Always it spun, and always the spokes that flared from it lashed about, as if seeking prey on their own accord.

Unlike the Makaze form, Kanan was weak on defense. It made up for this with the nature itself, as Naruto knew well that the air around him was superheated, and with the whirl and lashing of the fire-wheel, it made for an excellent beginning for a true nintaijutsu style.

After all, that's what both the Makaze and Kanan were. The beginning. Sadly it took someone like the Raikage or another Jinchūriki who could manifest a chakra cloak to be a reasonable sparring partner. Neither style was appropriate for sparring, being far too destructive. For now, he would have to make do with what he had.

Releasing the wheel by spinning it upward, where it could decompress without danger, Naruto slumped to the ground again. It was much later in the day, he noted, and the chakra from his clones flowed back to him with the memories they'd acquired, watching him. He wasn't pleased with the results. "Too rough. Still too rough." Shaking his head where it lay, he idly invoked a set of five clones to stand watch while his body recovered, and drifted to sleep.

–

From a slightly distant vantage, a man with fly-away silver hair pulled his forehead protector down, frowning. "Quite an interesting first day back."

–

The end of Naruto's day was spent speaking with his new summon, Kurohane, and getting acquainted with his new living space. It was strange, cooking for someone who wasn't Yugito, Killer Bee, or Jiraya... with a small grin, the Jinchūriki realized he'd spent very little time outside of his little safe circle of friends, for a number of years.

To his surprise, Kurohane proved as talented as he was at transformations, taking on a human form rather easily. To say he was surprised that she appeared to have a striking resemblance to what he'd come to expect as Uchiha features would be understatement.

Over their meal, a hybrid Kumo-Konoha dish he'd attempted, he pointed out his observation, "You bear a resemblance to a Konoha clan."

Kanae, as the blonde had learned his summon preferred to be called, blinked back at him. "Oh? Which one?"

"Uchiha."

The Raven choked on her water, sputtering for a long moment. "Ah, that is... well. There are some summon clans that prefer to be passed down through families. When that happens, the summons and the families tend to borrow shamelessly from one another, or just resemble each other over time."

Naruto hummed, poking at his food. "So, the Ravens were bound to the Uchiha, originally?"

Tilting her head in an avian gesture, Kanae blinked. "Didn't you read the scroll? There were other names of summoners there."

His turn to be surprised, Naruto's chopsticks nearly shoved part of his meal into his own lap. "I... wasn't paying attention." Recollecting himself, the blonde looked up troubled eyes. "Does this have something to do with my mother?"

The Raven shook her head slowly, black hair catching the light in shades of blue. "No, not that we know of."

"Then... why was I chosen? It doesn't make sense."

Kanae poked him in the forehead, earning her a glare. "I said we prefer, not that it's law. Summon clans can choose anyone they like to be their summoners. After all, just because a family is familiar with us, doesn't mean we'll like all of them."

Naruto considered that, nodding. "Yeah, I suppose so. I guess it's nice, in a way," he mused, cracking a slight grin. "Jiraya always said summons were like extended family, if you built good bonds with them. This way, I guess you can really pick your family."

"See? Now you get it," Kanae replied with a grin. Deciding to broach the real reason slowly, she forged ahead into Naruto's good mood, "Besides, there are other reasons. We think you have a lot of potential, and if we're right, we can help you learn what to do with it."

Perking up, Naruto's exited grin was stalled by the summon's next words, "But! I can't tell you what it is. I'm not trying to be a tease, but it would just be cruel to hang it over your head, if you don't have the potential in the end. Regardless of whether you have it or not, we'll help you. So, win-win, y'know?"

"Mm, suppose so," the blonde allowed. "I'd still like to know, but I'll be patient."

Kanae patted him on the head, earning her a muted growl. The Raven grinned winningly. "See? I knew you were a good choice," leaning forward, she got very close to the blonde's face. "After all, most Uchiha at this point would be threatening, raving, or sulking."

"Well, I guess you just got lucky?" Naruto replied, blinking confusedly back at amber eyes, off-balance at the summon's proximity.

"Oh. Well not yet," Kanae answered airily.

–

In Kumo, the Raikage watched in mild amusement as his youngest Jinchūriki body-flickered from one rooftop to another, chasing down an elusive blackbird that was fleeing for its life. "Shi? Any idea what that," the muscular man indicated the scene before him, "is about?"

The chakra sensor quirked a brow, as the Nibi container lunged out into open air, before snarling and flickering to the ground, her prey escaping this time. "Apparently, it's her newest hobby."

"Huh," the Yotsuki elder mused. Shrugging, he turned back to his paperwork. "At least it isn't rap."

Shi coughed, the sound remarkably similar to a laugh.

–

Like most places where children gather, the Konoha Academy was a noisy, gossipy, rumor-laden location, and the topic of most talk that morning was the newest addition to their generation – Naruto Uzumaki.

"I think he's pretty nice," Choji replied to a question from one of his classmates. He didn't know the girl well, keeping mostly to himself and Shikamaru during school hours, but had no problems answering her question. "When we sparred, he seemed like a nice guy."

"He beat you up!" Ino's shrill reply caused the other point of their familial team triangle to wince. Seeing it, the blonde girl rolled her eyes, but regardless dropped her voice a few degrees. "I mean, how is that polite?"

Choji sighed, not expecting the Yamanaka girl to be so unused to combat etiquette. Then again, her family wasn't big on physical combat. "If you spar with him, you'll get it. And he didn't 'beat me up'. He just won the spar. Big difference, Ino-chan."

Ino's expression darkened as Choji once again took liberties with her name, "Don't-"

"So, what do you think, Kiba?"

Shikamaru's question cut off Ino's possibly hurtful reply, pulling a few more people into their discussion as well. Kiba turned, his brief chat with Shino put on hold. Both of the young clan shinobi joined the discussion, "I dunno," the Inuzuka muttered, shaking his head. "He was good, I guess. Really defensive in his posture, but man, that grapple," rubbing his nose, the others saw his point.

"He seems capable," Shino added to the silence, unasked. He wasn't ignored, however.

Shikamaru nodded, thoughtful. "Yeah, at least in taijutsu. Did you hear what he said about his style, though?"

Shino nodded, brow troubled for a fraction of a moment. "Yes. It wasn't his 'primary' style."

Kiba shook his head at that, "Maybe he was bluffing. You heard how the Uchiha was tearing into him at the start. Maybe he's using that excuse to cover up that he's really not good at it."

Shikamaru spared the Uchiha a significant glance, one a number of others followed. The damage to the boy's pride was still hanging over him, a veritable cloud overhead. No one missed the still-apparent bruising about the Uchiha's eyes, that even Academy medics couldn't wholly dispel. "If that's 'bad', I don't want to see good."

Snorting, Kiba nodded. "Yeah, point. Hey, Hinata!" The girl in question jerked at the sudden attention, flushing slightly. "What did you think of the new kid?"

"N-Naruto-kun?" The Hyūga girl realized her mistake almost as she made it, wincing slightly.

Ino, ever-observant of the interactions around her, pounced. "Naruto-kun, eh? Are you already setting your sights on the new guy, Hina-chan?"

Flustered, Hinata shook her head swiftly, "N-No! It's just... well. You don't remember him?"

It took a moment, but realization and memory seemed to click into place behind a number of eyes. "Wait... that's Naruto? I thought..."

"My parents said he left the Village," Shikamaru added to Ino's half-reply. "It would make sense. He did come back with a foreign style."

"Kumo," Hinata muttered forlornly. "It was a Cloud style."

The shy girl's reminder cause a frisson of worry to spike through the youths. "You don't think he's a spy, do you?"

Kiba laughed at Choji's worry, "Nah. Why would he be so open about it? Still," recalling his parent's ranting about a few things, years ago, the dog-soldier rubbed at his nose. "I dunno why he'd come back."

A number of curious glances turned his way, until Hinata answered in a quiet voice. "People hated him. No one would tell me why, not e-even my f-father," she pointed out, swallowing her fear.

"I can see why," Sakura butted in, having put aside her initial glee at the free seat beside Sasuke to see what all the talk was about. She missed the fierce glare turned her way by the Hyūga heiress. "He's rude! He attacked me on the way out of the yard!"

"You tried to hit him, Haruno," the pale-eyed girl reminded the group with some ire, much to Sakura's irritation. "Don't play the martyr."

Ino kept her tone even, not wanting to experience the glare that was wilting her former best friend. "Why are you defending him? If he's been in Kumo..."

It was one of those open secrets – ones you didn't talk about, but everyone knew. The irony of that would come back to Hinata, some years later, that she and Naruto shared something of that magnitude and type. Currently, she only knew of her own shadowed past, and the attempt from Kumo's ninja to abduct her, years ago during a supposedly diplomatic mission abroad.

Sighing, the shy girl dropped her gaze. "I... really don't know. I don't know this Naruto, I guess. Perhaps I shouldn't," she admitted with some sadness. It was true, in a way... this Naruto didn't resemble to enduring, persistent, sunny and indomitable boy she'd started crushing on so many years ago it seemed. There was strength there, but it was different now. But, was it petty of her to loose her sense of connection to the blonde, just because he no longer seemed to suffer?

Hinata smiled a slight smile, detaching from the throng to find a seat. She had a lot to think on. The loss of Hinata from the group seemed to break the circle, and the youths went their separate ways, finding seats. The inevitable fight over who got to sit by Sasuke went on without notice, ignored by long practice and familiarity.

At five minutes to the bell, the hooded and bare-footed figure of the morning's attention entered the classroom, wearing his marked forehead protector and bearing of all the odd things, a raven on his shoulder. Scanning the room, his gaze lingered on three individuals, though he nodded to a few others.

The first of those he paused on was Sakura, who initially returned a glare, but quelled under the pressure she felt from those blue eyes. Refusing to admit her intimidation – even to herself – the pink-haired girl returned her adoring gaze to the boy beside her.

The object of her attentions was the second to earn a longer look from the Jinchūriki, which was returned with more than a little fire of its own. Naruto didn't bother to hide the slight smirk that bent his lips at seeing Sasuke's blackened eyes, only causing the Uchiha's scowl to deepen.

Dismissing the Uchiha, Naruto let his gaze pass Choji and Kiba, whom he spared a small wave, before landing on the third to hold his attention. Indigo hair and pale lavender eyes that lacked a pupil marked the girl as a member of the Hyūga clan, and if his memory was to be trusted, her name was Hinata. Seeing that she sat aside and alone, the Jinchūriki made his way toward her, taking a nearby but not adjacent seat. "This ok?" The Hyūga girl squeaked a reply, making the blonde blink once, then look to his feathered companion. "Er...?"

"It's... fine..." the girl managed to get out weakly, her face alternating a fierce flush and pale pallor.

Naruto was wondering if the girl was sick, as he'd never seen anyone have that strange a reaction before. "Hey, are you ok? I mean, if you're like... allergic to birds or something I can mo-"

"No! I mean, it's fine," the shy girl demurred finally, seeming to find her balance.

As he tried to puzzle the girl's behavior out, Naruto came to a conclusion that darkened his smile somewhat. "Ah. You heard what I told Umino-san. About the Raiashi. You were there, when that idiot tried to start a war."

"I... was the target."

Sighing heavily, Naruto cursed his luck. "My apologies," he murmured, standing despite the girl's protests to move to a different row. It would just complicated things in the future if he were to get involved, and there was no way in hell he could approach that girl for what the Raikage had planned. Sitting a few rows forward he wasn't unaware of the girl's forlorn gaze, being reminded rather tritely by his summon of it every time he managed to relax. "Be quiet, Kanae," he finally muttered to the Raven princess, closing his eyes to try and forget the world for a time.

–

Iruka Umino was not a happy man. He'd already made a major mistake with one student in the last twenty-four hours, and now he was being pressed to place that same student... if he could really call Uzumaki that, considering... on a team that even he knew would prove disastrous.

However, the Hokage's word was law. Whatever methods there were behind the old man's madness, he had only to follow them, his own concerns be damned.

Moving behind his desk with a scowl, the scarred Chūnin regarded his uneasy class with a brief glance. They were quieter than he'd expected, though the hooded looks the new blonde was receiving were telling enough. The Academy instructor paused, noting the black bird on said youth's shoulder. Odd, he mused.

"Alright, brats, listen up!" The room came to attention quickly, though Naruto continued to apparently doze. Seeing a similar state in the Nara, Iruka took up a pair of erasers, launching them at the two boys.

One hit its target well enough, the other... split in half, while a definite 'thunk' sounded a short distance away. "You may not want to do that with things that won't deflect a kunai or shuriken in the future, Umino-san."

Looking from the Kumo-styled kunai that was currently still vibrating where it had stuck in the wall nearby, to the blonde who now had a single eye open, Iruka cleared his throat hesitantly. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to throw things at unfamiliar ninja... "Ah, yes. And that's Umino-sensei, Uzumaki-kun."

"I'm not your friend," the blonde said with a definite chill to his voice. "And you've taught me nothing."

Lip twitching in annoyance, the Chūnin really had no way to reply to that. Rather than argue semantics in front of his class, he instead broke the seal on the rosters, gaining him instant attention from all those present. "Your Jōnin assignments and teams are as follows...

Naruto paid scarce attention to the the names, as a number of the teams seemed either still activated, or didn't involve him. "Team Seven," the blonde noticed Iruka's gaze snap to him for just a moment, and brought himself to attention. "Haruno, Sakura. Uchiha, Sasuke," there was a whoop from a female across the class from him, which Naruto ignored. Iruka's pause was telling thought, and Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Uzumaki, Naruto." The classroom went silent, as they each took in what that combination could mean. Into that silence, Kanae chuckled, a rasping caw in her current form.

To Iruka's surprise, Naruto just sat back, closing his eyes again. The Chūnin was almost disappointed in the blonde's inscrutable expression, hoping for something at least, to show how the dynamic would work between the three. He could tell from the other two, however, it would at best be a rocky road.

Sighing, the scarred instructor continued his assignments. "...your instructor will be Hatake Kakashi. Team Eight..."

–

AN: It was fun to write, but I didn't think I should keep up with it. I think I tried to do too much in one story, and it got out of my hands. Alternately, it would be rather fun utterly DIVORCED from canon, as it's own animal, in a different sort of setting. Bottom line: Lost interest, let it go.


	6. Chapter 6

Warning: I'm not pulling any punches with these, as they're SCRAP FILES. This is my raw, personal edits and not screened for much other than my own inner grammar nazi. You can expect just about anything, and I know there are a few scenes of mature and violent content. Some of it _harsh_. So, be warned.

Premise: Holy BALLS are you in for a large chunk to chew on with this. Unbroken, unchaptered, possibly implosive under its own weight. This started as a rebuild fic, then turned into something Else somewhere along the line. Basically, my original idea was a merge fic, with a dash of Big Fucking Sword. It got a bit out of my control somewhere along the line, and then I _lost_ my Wave Arc entirely in a crash.

—

**_Yukari_**

It rose like a scream behind her eyes until the sound parted and she could finally _see_-

The shrine rose up – no that was wrong. It was always there. She just let it come into focus. Simple. Foreboding. Familiar. Inescapable.

The sound was still there. It was the canvas this dream-that-wasn't-a-dream was painted on. She could feel it, with her ears in the way of dreams. Even if this wasn't. It was harsh canvas on her eardrums. Cicada song made manic. It rose when her attention wandered, until she had to focus on something, _anything_ else. Anything but the _noise_.

Blue sky. Endless. Cloudless. World without end, or beginning. Perfect, eternal blue.

Golden fields. Waves, oceans of glimmering, shimmering sunlight. False seas, waiting for the prow of a ship, for her to part the waters. Shear the sea between this place-

Right here every time. Each memory started the same, but was it a memory when it was _now_? Always, now. Always, the same number of steps.

-and the shrine. It breathed. She knew that the closer she got, that the noise would go away. But the...

_Heartbeat_.

Belly of the beast. _Inside_, curled up next to the soft, dark, wet, vital things. She knew that when the doors closed behind her, it would start.

Drums underwater. Back in the womb, maybe, it sounded like this. Sounded like being curled up around the panicked heart of some massive _thing_.

Only, it was _her_ heart, she knew. Panicked. Racing. But the beast... no. That was something wholly else.

"Welcome back, kit." Honeyed voice, gold as grain, swaying. Languid as the sea.

Her eyes never had to get used to the dark, here. Not this dark, at least. It was hers after all. Personal. Intimate. Velvet with _teeth_. "Hey," the words never got easier. Never managed to start in anything other than a choked rasp.

It got easier. Everything got easier, with time. Breaking down, tearing through the thin veneer that coated it. Seeing the underneath. Walking deception. "I think," easier. The words stronger as she went. Her voice was met with a smile, spreading across a face that was a mirror, y honey eyes bright like stars. Her face, of course. Dulcet harmony, two mouths speaking, "We need to talk," flowing words. Like blood.

For Naru, well, _Naruto_ a long, long time ago... her current path began on her sixth birthday.

Harvest festivals in the Land of Fire were modest, but still earned their name. People of all walks of life filled the streets of each of the country's towns, either to peddle their crops, enjoy the same, or simply partake in the camaraderie of a season of toil finished. All in all, it was a grand time for all, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits.

Others were more concerned with surviving the upcoming few minutes. People like Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto had been in a great mood that day, it being his birthday, and had come out of the small apartment he called home with a huge smile on his face, eyes all but shut with the size of it. Though he was in a grand state of mind, his mirth seemed to polarize those nearby, the smile he wore darkening moods all around him. The young boy didn't care – being six years old only came around once! – and his vulpine smile shone despite them. It was a beautiful day. The walls shone green still with the vines that were always present in the nearby forests, something that always made him inordinately pleased. It comforted him, their tenacity.

The festival offered him a unique situation, where he could go about and get lost in the crowds, something that he often couldn't do. Some would think that was dangerous for a child, especially in a city like Konohagure where being a killer was the primary vocation. Not so for Naruto, who's main worry rested in the civilians themselves.

Today's festival, being on his birthday as it was every year, gave him the cover he needed to actually go out and shop, enjoy the sights, and mingle with people without worry of the occasional rude, irritable, and sometimes violent person.

At least, it should have.

He didn't know why things turned against him almost at once – and had no time to wonder, as he darted around a corner then under a bag of trash. Heavy footsteps pounded by, and the young boy's breath hitched.

"Where is it?"

A snort then, "Why are you so upset? He left money-"

"That's not the point!" A sound, probably the food-cart vendor's hand hitting the brick overhead. "That's my family's toil – a family cut in half by that-"

"Shut up," the voice was quiet, and Naruto blinked – scared? "You know that's forbidden."

"Who's going to stop me," the first voice snapped, kicking the boy in the side by mistake as he hauled back and took his frustrations out on the trash nearby. Naruto bit his tongue to keep from crying out and giving away his position. "We're in an alley, there's no one to hear me-"

"You will desist and move on," a muffled voice, bored, barely audible replied, and Naruto quietly thanked whoever was listening that they finally arrived.

Deathly quiet ruled the alley for a moment, while the two men stared at what Naruto knew was an ANBU ninja. Then their reluctant steps sounded, as they shuffled away, the young boy figured. As always the enigmatic group managed to show up just as things got bad, and for that he was grateful. Sometimes he wished they'd show up sooner, but it was better than nothing.

Still, he hoped this time to see the elusive shadow, always liking their animal masks. Throwing aside the garbage bag he hid under, the boy grinned up at the white and red dog mask, suddenly turned his way. "Hey! Thanks, I was-"

"_You!_" Naruto turned in surprise, and blinked as his world seemed to tilt quickly, an odd sound ricocheting around in his ears. The chunk of brick that hit him shattered, one moment before the masked ANBU whirled on the livid food-cart vendor.

Silently the figure snapped out a hand, then pulled the prone form of Naruto across their shoulder before making a rapid hand seal. Then, there was only the rush of air and debris as they were gone.

"Weird, I never get used to ninja," the vendor's friend murmured, looking to his companion.

In reply, the man fell forward into the same trash Naruto had hid under, a kunai buried in a blind eye.

This was the first memory.

Lie – no, he'd been here before. Too afraid then to move, the noise alone making it impossible to think.

Blue sky yellow field black shrine.

This time felt... different.

_Cicada's screaming-_

He ran for the shrine.

Naruto stumbled on the low step, but caught himself on hands and knees. His heart hammered, deafening him but at least it wasn't that demon's wail outside that he knew would only rise and rise and drive all hope of thought out.

Only then he noticed how the pounding in his chest reverberated. Each time striking the world like a hand against a reflecting pool.

Dizzy, the young boy clutched at his head till the vertigo and rise of bile subsided, his senses just acclimatizing to that mad outlook. He made to rise again from the kneel he'd fallen into, but froze as a low laugh sounded from just within the shrine's darkened room. A woman's voice, low and with a certain smoky drawl weaved it's way out of that dimness, "Well, as much as I am flattered, you need not kneel."

Glaring around in the darkness, the young boy finally picked out the woman who spoke to him. The shrine's interior was small, nearly oppressive and bore no larger side windows, so light was sparse. It was there though, shed by two great lanterns, but they shone only upon the figure deep inside, throwing the rest of the shrine into gloom. She wore a loosely-belted traditional robe in crimson, her hair the same shade as the furs that spread out and around her, a muted liquid gold. She lay in repose within the _honden_, the sanctuary place where normally a great statue to enshine a _kami_ stood, but to Naruto's young eyes this meant little. Standing with a huff and more than a little fear, the youth cast about with his gaze and sniffed. "Who're you?"

The woman shifted on her furs, honey-gold as the grass outside the shrine. "I am just myself, little one," Naruto bristled at this half answer, coupled with what he saw as an insult. Forgotten was the cicada-shriek madness, the liquid drum of a frenzied heartbeat, as he built a head of steam to loose at the woman. A woman who laughed quietly, shifting in her crimson robes to face him fully, causing his eyes to follow and immediately snap to the side as a blush raced along his cheeks. A husky laugh answered his discomfort. "Forgive me, I am as shameless as ever."

Naruto just nodded, his face cooling. She was pretty, easily prettier than than Ino who's parents ran the flower shop, or Sakura whom he liked to watch as he sat on roofs, safe from scowling gazes. But then, they were children, and this woman was blatantly not. As he looked back those bronze eyes regarded him in turn. "You have finally come. I worried I would be here alone, forever."

"What?" Looking around then, Naruto saw the tell-tale signs of seals around the shrine, a grand spiral of them. Tracing the winding arcs, he became dizzy but could easily see them leading to the foot of the _honden_, the seal centering on the low wall before where the woman rested. The idea seemed to flow into him from the air around, "You're trapped here."

"I am trapped here," she agreed solemnly, blinking once slowly as she met the youth's brilliant eyes.

Looking around more, Naruto saw no signs of what the shrine was to, or who, or that there were even people there to care for it. It was clean and simple, but something seemed at once very, very familiar and very alien about it. "Well," he murmured, curiosity peaked, "trapped or not, I still don't know your name."

"Indeed," the woman replied, shifting quietly to the side, lazing against a cushion there. As she did, the furs around her spread, slinking about in a way that confused him till he made out their shape, all nine moving in...

Nine...

Everyone knew the tales, even if it was like a dirty, uncomfortable secret. Konoha, in it's bravery defending itself from the roaring, rearing disaster made flesh that was the Demon Fox. Defended and failed and died till a single man unmade the thing.

"You..."

"Me," she nodded with a curve of lip, indolent and indulgent and crimson beyond blood. "It's good to finally meet you, Naruto-of-the-seal. I am known to you and your's as Kyuubi, or Nine-tails if you like." Laughing at his sudden paling, she snapped open a fan, bearing a vermilion spiral on its folded spread. Raising the fan just so, it hid most of her smile, though it was still plain to see in the narrowing of her eyes in mirth, "Though, I've held more flattering names, to be sure."

The shrine's quiet, dark interior nearly burst at the sudden, hammering concussion of a panicked heartbeat that seemed to batter at it's walls.

Naruto was in a panic, his mind racing and rapid and unfocused. "How can you be... the Fourth Hokage killed you-"

The fan snapped shut with a sound not unlike thunder, so loud in that small space. That pulled his attention, stalled his racing thoughts and forced his eyes wide. "Is that what they claim?" The woman – no, _kitsune _– sniffed, a dismissal. "No, that man didn't have the power, or wile to do such a thing."

He was still coming to grips with the duality of things, remembering all the horror stories he'd heard, had put together because it was so hard to find information about the Demon Fox. People never spoke about it, not openly. Only in whispers, only behind closed doors, only in secret. Still, the best kept secret was only as good as it's keeper, and Naruto had heard enough to paint some of the picture for himself.

Six years ago, still recent enough to see the scars and damage remaining on the town, the Demon had come, rampaging across the forests. Mountains were risen out of flat ground to upset armies, hills flattened to later fill with water. Great chasms and pits blasted out of the ground, plains roasted in moments as if under the desert sun. The Fox was destruction. Calamity. Chaos.

The woman before him... "No, it's not possible."

A delicate, pale brow rose. "Are you so sure? Are you so certain in those people to think something like your Kyuubi could be undone by a simple _man_?" She snapped open the fan again, hiding her sneer behind it. "Foolishness."

The nuance of her words was lost on him, though. He was too enraged by her slur against the Fourth, in the way children in their innocence defended their heroes, "It's not a lie! The Yondaime was a great man! I'll be Hokage too one day, even better than him!"

The youth paled before the intensity of her glare, seeming to dim even the lanterns that sat around her like patient ghosts. "Will you, now? Follow in his footsteps? Fall like him, mortal and frail and _tiny... _insignificant before something wholly beyond your limited scope?" Scrambling back, Naruto couldn't later recall her standing, but suddenly she was, looming before him with her tails churning the air like caged lightning and wearing an expression so angry he held up an arm to shield himself. "I am not a tool, a thing to be used and then set aside, boy. I am the ever-gold, the harvest's bounty and grandeur. I am the glimmer of light on water, the moon's shadow and light, eternal fire in an endless night," a hand snaked around her waist, gathering the unsettled crimson _yukata_ together. "What are you, to stand before that?"

"I..." Naruto's mouth worked quietly, as he considered her words. The Fourth had faced and supposedly defeated the Demon Fox, but... he said he'd be greater. Could he one day stand against something like that? Could he even imagine it? He was a child, hated and ridiculed and driven by those angry looks all around him. He couldn't even face them... or this woman who claimed to be that catastrophe. Something in him broke then, something he wasn't aware of, but another was, and she hid her smile deep, waiting. Standing, eyes cast down, Naruto balled his fists to his sides. "I am me."

"And who are you," the woman prompted, quietly.

Glaring up from below hair the same color as her own, the young boy's eyes reflected the wide skies above the shrine. "I'm Naruto. One day I'll be greater than him. I swear it."

She smiled slowly, an honest curve to her lips rather than a dismissive sneer. "Very good. Very good, indeed. Come, kit, let us speak then, of greatness and how to reach it."

Hesitating just a moment, Naruto nodded, coming forward to stand by the _honden_. The kitsune gestured with her arm, sleeve held in her other hand in a graceful gesture, more suited for delicate brush strokes than simply bidding him entry into her sanctum. Regardless, he passed that border with only a momentary sense of unease.

"So you are the child they chose to bear my burden," the golden-haired woman murmured, running hands across his small shoulders, through his flax hair. "Hrm."

Blinking up at her humming, Naruto's frown deepened. "What?"

A brow rose at his brusqueness. "So ill-mannered. I was simply thinking how odd it is, that they chose a boy-child."

"Why not?"

A gesture unsuited to her sometimes-affected gentility with the closed fan brought his attention to the ill-concealed curves clearly stating the woman's gender, beneath the dark red _yukata_. "Oh, no reason at all."

Naruto folded his arms across his chest, peering at the woman, "I don't get it."

Bronze eyes regarded him for a long moment before the woman sighed, "I suppose you are young, and with that comes some allowance," she reasoned. Instead she tried another tact,

"Look around you, Naruto. Tell me what you see."

He did so, standing just within her sanctuary. The _honden's_ low wall was more to offer a simple but visual reminder that the _kami's_ place was separate, so the view of the shrine's interior was unobstructed, except for the small facing wall of the thing itself. His eyes again traced the walls, the seal's scribble as it twisted and churned on its inexorable path to that same low wall. "I see a seal," he murmured quietly, mind slightly fogged by the sheer, warm, languid comfort of her hands working through his hair slowly.

"A seal," the kitsune prompted, nodding slowly. "What do seals do?"

Blinking as if it were the most inane thing in the world to ask, Naruto turned his gaze back to hers, seeing only patience there, waiting. "They... well _seal_ things. Lock them up, I guess."

A slow, indulgent smile spread across her lips. "Good, good. Now, so we know that the seal here locks something away. But," tapping his chest lightly with her fan, the kitsune continued. "Obviously not wholly, yes?"

Brow furrowed, Naruto just nodded. He wasn't the most educated of his peers – but it wasn't his fault! – thanks to how the teachers treated him. There were only two people there that seemed to give him even the slightest shadow of the same attention that was given to other students.

Still, it wasn't hard to pick up on things. After all, adults may be quietly scornful, even hateful but their children, seeing it, only managed to be cruel. Mocking his lack of knowledge, Naruto became a student of his faults – hearing those things he lacked, then throwing himself at them, to prove he was good enough.

"Seals contain," he began quietly. "They can hold focused chakra, or with the motions of hand seals, focus it," the youth continued.

"But," the red lips quirked slightly, sensing the hesitation in his explanation.

He warmed to the subject. "There is a limit to what they can contain," nodding, recalling the few snippets of basic sealing he'd managed to scrounge after being mocked for letting an explosive tag go off too soon. "The more complicated the thing to be sealed, the more complex the seal has to be." Again, Naruto looked around, seeing the dense, wholly encompassing sealwork that filled every part of the shrine's interior. "Whoa..."

Chuckling darkly, the kitsune nodded. Throughout their talk, her hands hadn't strayed from the boy's shoulders or hair, a constant intimate if innocent contact. "Now, returning to why I find it curious that they chose you," the woman heaved a sigh, looking up and out at the shrine. "They are incomplete, these bonds," she murmured, turning slowly with Naruto before her. "They may have meant to seal me wholly away but they failed. Perhaps it was vanity, or a simple mistake on the part of your hero," she smiled, making a soothing noise as the boy in her arms bristled. "The part of me that is male is sealed away. Locked apart from me, but this," tapping her chest lightly, as she had his. "This remains. I feel the power of it, turning me against myself, drawing against me like leeches. Feeding you the vital power that is what I am."

Naruto may not have been the brightest student in the Academy, but there were key points in the woman's words that stuck. "Wait. Part that's male? Feeding me?" Shaking his head hard, the boy drew away, staring at her, "I don't get it."

"I am a spirit, and beyond that, a trickster," the kitsune explained, dim lantern light turning her nearly luminescent eyes into flames of their own. "In the world I call home, such things as gender mean little. Tools made of words and ideas. That they cannot take from me." Looking away as a bitter cast swept over her, the kitsune lost some of her poise, slumping. "They cannot, but you do. Every day a little more of me is pulled away."

"You're dying?"

The naked worry in the boy's words earned him a smile. "No. I won't die from this. Think of it like... an hourglass. Sand starts in one side, flows to the other, but there is only one vessel. It is never empty – just waiting to be filled.

"And like an hourglass, the amount of power you can take is limited," she continued with a sigh, as she folded with a sinuous grace back onto the cushions. He watched her tails settling about her like a bed of furs, watched as she regarded him as intently. A shrug, a lift of pale shoulder that escaped her robe as a hand beckoned him.

Naruto came closer, and was pulled down to rest on the soft bed of that fur. Without warning, the weariness that his tense mistrust had masked stole back over him, but it was dim. "Why am I here again?" The question wasn't accusing, merely curious.

A smile curved lips the hue of spilled blood. "Because I want you to be."

"Just like that," Naruto murmured, shaking his head. "Then why not before? Why wait so long?"

"Hrn," ruby lips pursed. "I should have said, 'Because I wanted you to be, and could find you,' then. Before now, I knew of you, but that was all. The seal kept us separate."

Nodding against her shoulder, the woman's arms wrapped around him in a comfortable way he'd never felt before, the youth thought to what it was that could have changed. "The only thing that's different is... I'm not sure. Something feels wrong."

"What is the last thing you remember?"

_-running can't stay here they hate why always running never relax someone help..._

_ -ANBU mask, looking down, then to the side..._

_ -brick spinning through air, small pieces breaking off with it's speed, closing – so fast! – can't dodge going to HIT ME-_

Gasping and flailing a moment, Naruto cried out, hands reaching up to cover his head from a blow that never came. The kitsune held him steady, still, making small comforting noises till his breathing evened out, the panic subsiding. "That's why, Naruto. You felt real fear. Fear of death. You crossed a border inside yourself that must have triggered the seal."

"Why?" Eyes misty, the boy looked up, sky blue meeting honey gold. "Why would they do something like that?"

"To protect you. I can offer you so much..." a low purr ended her words, eyes half lidded. "Power, knowledge... even things you won't understand with the limits of your age," a slow lift of her lips preluded a laugh that seemed to start deep within the woman. "Perhaps they didn't expect you to... _need_ me... for quite some time yet."

Naruto blinked at her owlishly. "What kind of power? I don't get it."

"Have you ever been hurt, and then the next day been fine? How long can you run? Have you ever been sick?" Each question caused the frown on the boy's face to deepen. "Now, think about your friends. Think about if they can claim the same things."

"I don't have..." biting his tongue, Naruto looked away sharply, missing the kitsune's slow smile.

Humming softly, she tightened her grip on the youth. "Then, why don't you tell me about yourself, Naruto? Tell me so I can be your friend."

Though he wasn't very trusting, having someone – even someone who claimed to be the Kyuubi – offer him such creature comforts as the amount of contact they shared was a heady drug. Naruto found the woman's gentle hands and clean smell comforting. She smelled like the field, like fresh grass and clean air. Then, to offer to be his friend... "...You mean it? You would be my friend? And you want to know about me?"

"Yes," the kitsune said simply, teasing her hands through his hair. "Tell me about Naruto. I would like to know about the one whom I am already so much a part of. Tell me about yourself, go back as far as you can, I promise not to get bored."

Despite the frantic need to have those things, Naruto stalled. Wariness was beaten into the young boy, almost literally, from a young age. "What do you get out of it?"

The kitsune regarded him levelly a moment, blinking slowly. "I get to know you. I cannot leave this place, and this place is you. Now that the part of the seal that separated us is broken, we cannot go back. I am here, until either the seal is broken fully, or..." shrugging slightly, she let the rest go unsaid, but the meaning was clear to him.

The threat of death to him, the fear of it weakened the bond so they were here. Dying would release her. "Then, I'll tell. But, I want a story in return."

"A deal, hrm?" The small hum she used in lieu of words caused him to grin. "Very well. A story, for a story."

"Promise?"

Despite her almost revulsion at making such a statement, her trickster's nature balking, the words came nearly on their own, "I promise."

It wasn't a nice story, or exciting, but it was his. A story of youth spent learning to survive, and despite his dreams to one day be Hokage, a deep-seated fear that there would never be someone that accepted him.

The kitsune who held him stilled her hands, unnoticed as the boy was wrapped up in his own telling, lost to time and place. She on the other hand stared down at the youth, the dream's vision stealing the truth of his appearance from her. In her arms lay a wiry youth, sharp of feature and with a smile easy to see, but in truth she could feel those scars, faint and fading but there regardless.

This was not the treasured son of a city, held up like the other vessels she'd heard tales of. This was not the sheathed weapon, waiting for the perfect draw to prove it's edge. A wry smile and laugh escaped her, as he told of pranks and his antics, pushing back at the people who pushed him. A trickster's soul.

Desperately crying out for someone to acknowledge him. Accept him.

There was a lull in the story, spreading into an ominous quiet she was unused to in the frank, open child. "Naruto?"

Blonde hair hid his eyes, his voice little more than a whisper, "They hate me." Despite it, she could feel the anger suddenly, the spike of it like physical pressure against the shrine. "They hate me because of _you_."

"No," she wasn't arguing with him – there was no point after all – he was correct. Only, not completely. "They don't hate you because of me. They hate you because they are weak."

The flare of anger, as dangerous and unfocused as fire in autumn leaves, winked out. "What?"

"Are you a demon? Huge and rampaging, uncontrolled, destruction given form and focus?"

"Of course not! I'm just... a kid..."

"Yes," she agreed quietly. "You are. And if you were any of those things, they could not treat you as they have. No, Naruto. You are not a demon. You are an escape."

Tilting his head back, the boy's brow furrowed, "Huh?"

Smoothing his hair down from it's wild spikes, only to have it stubbornly rise again, the kitsune explained, "If you could be, in their mind, any of those things, do you think they'd act this way?"

"Well, no-"

"It is unwise to harass even a simple, stupid, wild animal. Antagonize the boy who possesses the Kyuubi, blaming him for it's actions?" She snorted derisively. "No. They are _weak_. They couldn't do anything against me, against my power. So, they see you, hear rumor that you contain that demon. We'll, obviously you're not capable of ripping them apart, and they know this because they test you! – so they feel safe. Safe in their petty hatreds. Weak, angry, and with a child to unleash their cowardly hatred on.

"So, Naruto," the kitsune's voice had grown chilly, losing it's husky lilt. Now it was clipped and edged. Like teeth. "Do you still wish to be their Hokage? To protect them?"

He didn't bother to hide his tears. They rolled, fat and slow down his cheeks. "I don't know."

Sighing, she lifted his face, stealing the tears away with swift fingers. He stilled without much effort, as he was used to suffering his sadness alone. The kitsune's touch was warm, her hands soft as she gathered him closer. "Shh. Quiet little one." Humming a halting tune, she held, soothed him till his body lay still, his breathing even. "It's a decision that you have much time to think on," she reminded him, earning a nod. "Instead of worrying on it, I think it's my turn, to tell a tale."

Suddenly attentive, Naruto smiled, sniffling back the remaining sign of his inner turmoil. With a final sniffle, Naruto nodded.

The Kyuubi smiled, "Well then. Once upon a time..."

There was a spirit, a fox spirit to be precise.

Kitsune are spirits, like ghosts and devas. We live in the shadow world, Yomi, ruled by the moon. Under Tsukuyomi we organize our clans, each great one like the ninja clans, feudal houses and dynasties in your world. We keep to ourselves but sometimes there are wars.

For each clan there is a leader, a head, who is the oldest sometimes, wisest sometimes, most cunning sometimes. For the kitsune, it was the latter, but not till one came. The wisest often got bored with the things kitsune do, and came to your world to live their lives studying life and living. The oldest were preyed on by the younger, having grown too lazy or fat to fight back.

Then there was one, who was all three. She rose up quietly in shadows, hiding her tails. Kitsune you know gain a tail and with it a new wisdom each thousand years. Well, when we gain our ninth it was said that kitsune would know all that happened in the world, would gain true insight, and the favor of Tsukuyomi. Well, that would not do, would it?

Other clans thought so. Our own clan thought so, for if one knew so much, how could they take power one day? No, no kitsune should be allowed to gain that, yet we all hunger for that day, when we reach it. So even as they nodded, saying they would never seek such, and work to keep it from happening, they planned and plotted, for it was our nature.

You see, to a kitsune, tricks and lies and intrigue are like water and air. But, the other clans did not know this. They only saw our sometimes cunning, our often pranks, our ever-present smiles.

This one grew wise, but kept her tongue still. She grew powerful, but kept her hands still. She grew old, but being wise knew how to live, so age slipped off her fur like water. She grew cunning but kept that to herself, the most cunning plot of all.

One day, while the clan was away treating with the other great clans, she slipped into the great house, past the guards and past the priests. She snuck into the kitchens and placed poison in the arrowroot and into the tea, and then crept and hid the statue of Tsukuyomi where it was enshrined in their palace. In it's place she stood, her _yukata_ the finest spun silk, her hair in jeweled pins and tails brushed till they gleamed. Even her ears shined! And when those old foxes arrived they took their guests and dined, they stared at her, and bowed and said to themselves, "Oh! The moon has come to grace us! She has taken the form of a kitsune to show how we are the greatest clan!"

Unwise this was, and their recent allies took offense. The lords fought and bled and died, all while the kitsune smiled down, her ball of fox-fire held in hand, pale and shining like the moon. Still, she was quiet, keeping her cunning to herself.

Then the lords that were left, a great snake and toad and slug, turned and regarded the statue. "Oh lord, Tsukuyomi, why is it you have betrayed us? Why choose the lowly fox as your favorite?" In his rage, the snake moved to strike at the kitsune, but collapsed in a faint from the poisoned cakes and teas. The slug seeing this went to heal her fellow lord, while in his wisdom the toad regarded the disguised kitsune, nodding.

"You have proven your point, lady fox. Step down, we shall acknowledge your place."

She did so, and the three marveled, that she was the fabled Nine-tails. "How did you gain the lord's favor," the snake asked, pained in his poison.

"I did not," she replied.

"How did you survive lying and claiming it?" The slug's question came then. They all knew that such a bold thing, such a lie would gain the lord's attention and wrath immediately.

"I did not," the kitsune replied, with a smile, speaking of course of claiming such blasphemy. She never did!

"How did you trick the other foxes into hiding you, and your tails," the toad questioned, thinking he knew all that went on with his spies and old knowledge.

"I did not," the fox-woman answered, before sitting and smiling.

And so, it was then known that the Kyuubi was the most feared, most powerful, most wise and cunning of all the clans. Claiming her place in front of the collected lords of the clans, and even daring to tempt the wrath of their lord, she walked proudly with a smile, and killed without guile.

And so that kitsune took her place ruling the clan. She taught the little foxes the true way – that cunning is more powerful that power, held more wisdom than the wise, and was able to fool even time.

And then one day, she made a mistake.

"Huh? I thought she was wise?"

The woman grinned ruefully, her face a softer mirror to his own in that vulpine gesture. "Oh, but even the wise err, or how would the Toad have come to submit?"

Naruto puzzled on this, wondering if the fox was really as wise as she seemed. "I guess. So she wasn't perfect then."

"Not at all," the woman admitted with a sigh, leaning back with the boy in her lap, tails trailing along and over them like a blanket. "There is no perfection, little kit. When you find it – destroy it. For it is a cunning lie."

Blinking blue eyes regarded her, wide and unbelieving. "I... why?"

"Hrn," bronze eyes closed, as a fall of golden hair masked her face. "Perhaps another tale would say it best."

One day, the Kyuubi grew tired of her court, for her foxes were cunning, were wise and many had even eight tails. Still, it would be unwise to grow complacent and lazy, so she went about in the world to gain insight.

While playing with her ball of fox-fire, she stumbled while looking up at the beautiful moon and it rolled away, down the hill and through a small forest. Wary of crying out for fear of troublesome things like bandits and thieves, she chased it, chased it and finally saw a man tying it to a pole, setting it upon his wagon.

Outraged, she none the less kept a distance, as the man used her precious ball as a lantern, using it to light his way and so be able to travel even at night through the harsh land. Well, this didn't sit well with her at all! A fox's kitsune-bi, their ball of fire is a precious thing, and into it they pour all their power over fire giving it life. Without that ball she would have none! How embarrassing!

The kitsune chased him in the form of a fox and watched. Oh, she could have risen up and crushed him with a paw, but no... something stilled her. Perhaps it was the moon that night, so pretty and calm that cooled her, or perhaps the lack of her fire stole away her rage. Either way, she watched, patient, and waited for a chance to steal back her precious ball.

In that patience she sees him help others, always kind, always with a smile. Over a week she watched him, alone on his cart, always with a smile, a kind word to others, giving of his few things to help those with less. Intrigued, on the sixth day she sneaked into the firelight of his camp. She watched as he started his fire with flint and sticks, curious as to why he didn't just use her ball.

"Well hello little fox," he greeted, waving. Keeping quiet, she shyly approached. "Aren't you a pretty fox," he complimented, and she preened slightly, happy he was so keen to see. "Aren't you a wise fox," he said, then, as she kept her distance on the other side of the fire despite the smell of his stew.

She kept his company then, and watched as he ate, then tended to his horses, then played a tune on a flute which made her sleepy. But she was a wise fox, and did not sleep. Only then would she eat the offered food, and it was good.

As he slept, she crept to the lantern, and moved to bite through it's ties. "What a clever fox," he said, one eye open. "If you would but let me keep that ball till my journey ends, I will build a shrine for you, and return it with my thanks."

Intrigued, she agreed and left him then, to watch and wait.

Still, the nights were cold, and she was long away from home, and the small creature comforts seemed myths of their own. So on the seventh night she crept into the fire light again, only this time she came as a beautiful woman. That night she slept warm and content, but that is a tale for another time, when you are older.

From that day on, she would escape in the morning to watch as a fox, but each night returned to his bed in the form of a honey-haired woman. Another week passed, but there was a tension in the air. Trouble was coming.

True to her worry, that day bandits and hired men came from the path behind, but the man payed them no concern. "Halt, in the name of our lord," the man called, and the kitsune was intrigued.

The man and his wagon stopped, and the armed men surrounded it. "Why have you stopped me?" the man, whom the leader of those bandits named Yasuna, asked.

"You desert your duty and must return to be punished," a man claimed, and the kitsune despaired. Was she so poor a judge now? Had this man she'd watched been so truly unworthy?

"My lord whom I swore to died," the man Yasuna replied. "My oath was to a brother in arms, and my bond was paid. He left no sons for me to renew my promise to; and so I am released."

The bandits argued with him then, on the nature of duty and how a lord never dies, that he should know that as such his oath merely passed from one vessel to another. Regardless the kitsune had heard enough.

The kitsune bound them in an illusion of the Yomi world, the horror of it and her lord's baleful red eye glaring down driving them to madness. While her nighttime companion looked on in horror as she killed them, again the kitsune lamented. Here, she would save the man, only to have him turn against her. Instead the man sees her eyes, the same eyes that he'd watched for many nights and bowed, thanking the kitsune for his life.

Sadly, the kitsune's fate was now in the man's hands, as she was known to humans which made it dangerous. Spirits didn't let themselves be known so intimately by those of the man's world without contracts – this kept one from taking advantage of the other. She was now in danger, and her sadness was obvious. "I will ask what you plan to do, upon your answer, so lies your fate," she said to the man Yasuna

The man was no fool. "I ventured out, leaving behind lands that saddened me. With my lord and friend dead, I wish to begin a clan, strong enough to stand on their own, and kind enough to help those around them."

Again intrigued, the kitsune spared him, and decided to help him with his desires. She granted him the lantern, saying it would always give his family the fire within to see their passions through.

Though she tried not to, she became fond of the man, and in time fondness became love. On their wedding day, the man asked for a boon, knowing the kitsune to be a powerful spirit. Trusting him to be wise and not abuse her, the kitsune inquired what he'd ask.

His answer was this, "I would ask your favor, so that none of my family be held in a false word. Grant us the power to see through lies."

The trickster in her balked at this, but the man was honorable. "I grant you this, but know my condition," she said. "If any who carry this boon should willingly betray their faith, they will suffer eternal night."

In honor of his wife, the man named their clan Uchiha, for the fan she was to the fire within him that she granted, and the promise to rouse their family to greatness.

Within the year, she bore him a son, and in his red-moon eyes were the three marks symbolizing her word. The tomoe of the Sharingan, which she shared in her form as the Kyuubi lord of her clan. She told him of how those eyes could see though lies, and that with that truth they also gain the cunning of the kitsune, to learn the world as they see it.

And so, the Uchiha became renowned for their great chakra, the fire in their veins, and the cunning eye, all gifts from their mother. She felt her life had become perfect, even if it was fleeting.

Late in her life, sharing with an illusion the age of her mate, the kitsune again felt the stirring of trouble. Seeking out her son, she saw his acts and felt a great sadness.

The eldest Uchiha had begun working for a great lord, earning his family and name great honor. In this time, the lord became envious of the youth's prowess, being paramount of his troops, and in some cases in the court itself. Fearing the boy's coming power, the lord asked to know his secrets.

Now, though none else knew, it was no secret to the boy or his father who she truly was. It was that truth they feared – as they loved her and would not see her come to harm or be driven off. So, thinking to trick the man into seeing his family as simply very good and claiming the blessings of _kami_ for his gifts, the boy seeks to treat his lord to his family's hospitality, thinking in kindness he will forget his ambition.

Unknown to the boy, his lord has seen through his gifts. He tells him no lies, but has his elite follow, keeping to the trees, intending on taking whatever treasure it must be that granted this family such power.

They come to the Uchiha home, and the lord is impressed but this does not seem the home of a _kami_. There is only a humble shrine with an empty _honden_, and the lady of the house tending it. That lady is a beautiful woman even in age, and the lord lamented not seeking this place out, to steal her away in their youth. Even so, he graciously accepted their invitation, and the assassins outside waited for his signal.

Again she has been cunning – the family and the fire in them burned away the poison she slips into the food, but the lord is no fool. He calls for his trap as he lay dying, and as it springs, the kitsune again calls on the Yomi to trap the men in nightmare.

She knows such a thing cannot be forgotten easy, and makes up her mind.

"It is time," she says quietly, gathering her husband up, and kissing her eldest son one last time on the forehead. Understanding, he swore to uphold the clan's rules, but she knows deep in her heart that humans are weak. Regardless she has hope, that her legacy would not be lost and forgotten. This is why the fox clan never sign contracts, for their lady forbade it. Leaving her son and family to continue the Uchiha name, she took her husband into death, back to the world of spirits.

And so it is that the Uchiha continue to this day, stumbling on the secret that such an intimate betrayal gives. Being at once the bearers of truth and deception, they are blinded ultimately. Until the man Madara discovered the secret to undo her curse and turn it on her a thousand fold...

"Madara?"

The Kyuubi nodded once, and Naruto could feel the tension in the form beneath him, where they lay against the shrine's back wall. "A man. An Uchiha, the first to turn my family's gift against me."

"What do you mean?"

The kitsune looked down into open, blue eyes. "A... tale for another time."

Frustration shone clear on the young boy's face at that, "What? You can't leave it hanging like that!"

She regarded him icily for long moments, and in that time Naruto remembered what exactly it was that he was so close to. Even as he shivered in anxiety, she merely watched, measuring, assessing. The spirit wearing the shape of a woman blinked once, slowly. "Perhaps... we can come to terms..."

Relieved that she wasn't mad, Naruto's voice rose in a rapid babble, "Terms? What you do mean? Will you tell me about this Madara?"

"Hush," she chided, the crook of her lip curling up slightly. "What if I agreed to help you? Offered you something more than those others have, something beyond them. Would you be interested?"

Gaping slightly, Naruto could only nod rapidly. "You'd teach me? I bet I could be Hokage easy with you helping me!"

"Pehaps," she crooned easily, running long fingers through the boy's hair. "But I'd want something in return."

"What? What do you want me to do?"

His eagerness caused her smile to bloom, "Just a promise, and a gesture. That you will, when you are ready, help me in return. You see, Madara... did something unthinkable. Unforgivable, to me. And I want my due."

Naruto could tell the kitsune was angry, just by the feel of the air around him changing. Worse, her eyes... had gone all red. Bloody, glowing red like looking deep into a fire. Curling his fingers around her arm in reflex, he whimpered.

Snapping out of her musings, the Kyuubi flinched at the boy's fear. "I'm sorry. He was... unkind."

Naruto only nodded slightly, still shaken. "He was a bad person," the words were more statement than question, and it caused the kitsune to tilt her head, regarding him.

Oh how easy it would be to turn a child's heart. No. In this instance, a little truth would be more effective than a whole lie. "He was bad to me," she admitted, finally.

Nodding, Naruto looked back up into her again golden eyes. "I'll help you." Looking away, he smiled, sadly. "I mean, isn't that what friends are supposed to do? And you're one of my only friends." He laughed a little at that, eyes tearing up slightly, "It's, scary. I know they hate you but I can't. I should, but I can't. It scares me more that you'd hate me, that you'd stop being my friend than all those scary things they say."

Demons are not human. They do not feel human feelings, do not worry on human concerns or shed human tears. A human cannot understand a demon. Yet, she'd borne a child – children, in fact – and been a mother, sister, brother, a husband, a lover and a whore in her time, thousands of years. Arms curled up around the broken youth, the kitsune found herself remembering all those lives.

Boredom. It pushed her to lengths her kin would never understand. She often didn't know what it was that drove her, pushed and cajoled her to strange whimsy and errant notion. Yet, this she knew. Boredom was dangerous. I could convince men to becoming demons, and demons into becoming mothers.

"Will you let me help?"

Naruto looked up, an unhappy mess again. "What?"

She took his hand with a small smile. "Promises are easy to break. So we spirits have better ways to make our oaths. Remember the gesture, to go with your promise I asked for?" He nodded slowly, hesitantly as the kitsune's thumb moved over his palm in a slow circle. "When you make a contract with a thing such as us, it takes more than words," she lifted his hand up to lips that he suddenly remembered looked remarkably like blood. "Are you ready?"

Cringing slightly, the blonde boy nodded, and was rewarded with a sharp, sudden shock as it felt like his whole _insides _were being sucked out through his left hand-

And then it was over. Panting a little, eyes wide he looked up and met her smiling eyes. His hand was still in hers, only now he had a small set of scars, a half circle around the bottom of his hand. Like something had bitten him. Gathering his wits, Naruto's brow furrowed. "Ow."

Tinkling laughter met his statement. "Not so bad, though?" He shook his head. "So, now-"

"Wait. You promised too." The kitsune's mouth snapped shut, as she watched wide-eyed as the tiny child in her lap pulled up the hand lazing across his stomach. It was a testament to how little she had thought of his awareness of her that let such laziness catch her unguarded. Then it was done.

Naruto would have gasped a second time had he not been in the throes of what felt like being burned from the inside out. When the kitsune had bitten him, she had used the bottom side of his hand. His mouth wasn't as big, so instead he merely latched on to a finger, focusing on the bone there for his small teeth to press on. Then the sharp, stinging pain had filled him, but he'd thought it'd start in his mouth-

-It spread from his belly, blasting up and through him, searing his spine and then wrapping around him like a shirt, crawling under skin and between muscles. He was still water, and what she bled was a massive stone, dropped in it.

Then it was over. Staring, blue eyes huge, he looked up at the grave kitsune, who was shaking her head slowly. "You are a brave, stupid, ingenious little child. Well played."

Uncomprehending, he only cared about the small, rueful smile that followed her words. His own sprang up in answer. "So, what are ya going to teach me?"

He realized at that moment as she laughed and laughed, more than any other, that this woman, this spirit he'd been spending time with in some strange fashion wasn't like him. It was more than her electric blood, still running through him like liquid lightning. She was a monster. Not like... the stories he'd been told by other children, trying to scare each other. Not like the movies, where some _thing_ tried to scare you but made you laugh instead. Not like the jokes he played sometimes.

She was like the chill and shiver that crawled up his back at night, alone and in the dark. The whisper and impression of a face in the shadows. A thing, an idea wearing a skin and human form.

He could see all this in her eyes, slitted like a cat and yellow as dawn, looming above him and curved in her laughing. It was such a pretty sound. He'd never wanted to run away so much in his life. Naruto's voice was small as he gripped her arm, the silliness of the gesture lost on him. Grasping to hold on to something stable in the wake of the Kyuubi, and it being the kitsune herself.

A lazy, indulgent smile crept across her lips, finally stilling from her amusement. "Let me teach you something... interesting. Let me teach you how to be someone else..."

It was an unusual day for many reasons.

Hiruzen Sarutobi checked his daily schedule again, frowning. He had made an appointment... how unusual. Putting those musings aside, he sighed instead at the small monument of paperwork arranged just for him. His mouth twitched at the irony of that, but didn't shirk his duty. Pen in hand, he attacked the workload with a focus rarely seen outside of Jounins on S-rank missions.

He understood the role he had, likely better than any other Kage currently in place.

He understood that at his command people died. Not just targets – the very ninja he was in command of. The nations and surrounding countries had, as most tactical scenarios develop, equalized the primary offensive basis of their militaries then worked to specialize trump weapons. Bloodlines, family techniques, secret programs. His people died, and each mission carried that possibility, as only in defense of Kohona could he guarantee in some way security. Their world did not work this way, sadly.

He understood that war supported the Element nations more than trade, manufacture, and agriculture. The constant strife to surpass and the pride associated with each nation's power set up a balanced board which constantly activated positive growth. He imagined it like a round table, balanced on a cone. Atop were a collection of marbles, all set to maintain balance, so the board didn't tip, didn't fail and fall. Each Kage had their own side, and the small Kageless villages, the Daimyo's and militias rolled back and forth, smaller marbles. Taken to an extreme he could imagine each ninja as a balance on that board, each civilian and samurai and bandit.

Such a thing was humbling. It was also terrifying, to think that one force could set off a chain reaction, drawing forces to itself to either align or destroy a player there.

He understood that balance, possibly better than any other Kage or Daimyo. It was the legacy of Konoha that had established such a thing, after all.

That balance was due in part if not wholly to one force. Mokuton. Something about that fabled technique... scared Hiruzen. Very little scared the Sandaime Hokage, but Mokuton did a very effective job of it. To the uneducated it would be seen as a silly phobia, but those who were keen on history and the play of politics in the Element nations would understand, and likely share that fear.

It wasn't the ability to control both earth and water chakra that made Mokuton so frightening, but the ability to control the great demons, the tailed beasts themselves. The Shodai Hokage, the first of his line of leaders, had used that power to establish the playing field Hiruzen imagined. Eight of the beasts were enslaved, sealed and used as bargaining chips to ensure a peace between the great villages and nations.

He didn't plan on the inability for his skill to be passed on, though. No, those eight monstrous powers had been found, sealed and then given away, but Konoha lacked that even greater trump card. Until recently, at least, with the passing of his successor Minato.

That Hashirama Senju had been the only one capable of such a technique comforted the old man, some new developments unnerved the Sandaime Hokage greatly. Tenzo, an ANBU had kept his affinity secret for some time, had been found out as in desperation he used it to protect himself and his teammates. Luckily it was contained, and Ibiki reported that the memory augments on those witnesses were holding, but that Mokuton had reared it's head again... Tenzo was not an ambitious man – not that the Third was wary of his position. If the man surpassed him, any ninja in fact, he would gladly step down. It was the potential for abuse that frightened him.

Now with so many nations allying and moving in subtle and overt action against Fire, it was disheartening to realize that the Fouth's action to seal the Demon Fox in his son had been a good tactical decision for the future. Hiruzen simply hated that such a bright, innocent child had to be subjected to the consequences of his and his father's actions.

Even more than a five years after it's defeat, the Kyuubi and it's influence still managed to upset Konoha. Still, Hiruzen realized he was a military leader, not a soothsayer, despite his crystal ball.

"Sir."

Looking up at the ANBU guard, he nodded, knowing well the masked ninja's message already. He could hear the 'appointment' barreling around the corridor minutes ago. The masked ninja backed deftly out of the way, as a blonde missile barreled forward, rebounded off a doorway, adjusting it's course for Hiruzen midflight, or more specifically, his hat.

Sarutobi lifted it up at the proper moment, defeating the youth's attempts. "Awe, c'mon! Just once!"

Chuckling, the Hokage motioned for the ANBU to leave them, taking the few minutes always required to settle the boy down enough to get an actual answer out of him. "Now, Naruto, what is it you wanted to speak with me about?"

Suddenly the boy quieted, and Sarutobi noted with a small pang the bandage still draped lazily across the boy's brow. He was thankful at least for the Kyuubi's healing, if nothing else.

"I..." searching for words, Naruto screwed up his face into a grimace. He looked up to the Hokage with such a look of focus and clarity the man actually drew back slightly. He was the image of a young Minato in that moment.

"I know. About the Kyuubi. The seal."

Hiruzen Sarutobi replayed the last fifteen seconds through his mind, using his own long-past training to verify he heard correctly. He had. Face going terrible and grim, the Hokage regarded the boy intently, "Naruto... how? Who told you this?"

Blue eyes met his without hesitation. Was there a hint of red there? "The Kyuubi did."

Bad to worst possible. Hiruzen took his seat before the floor became too attractive an option. He was getting too old for this. "The seal, it can't be breaking. Not yet," he murmured, demonstrating his scattered thoughts.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, not liking that he made the Hokage so upset. "No, it's holding. I didn't mess with it when we talked."

"That is good. Very good," swallowing his momentary fear, he assessed the damage. He'd not shown Naruto the depth of his upset, though he was close. "I have to ask though, how? Why?" The boy reached up, rubbing at his temple while he thought of an answer, obviously trying to figure out what to say. The action spoke loudly enough, to an observant eye. "Ah, your injury."

The boy's eyes snapped up, as he nodded. "Yeah, I... dreamed. Kinda. She was there."

Hiruzen blinked. "_She?_" Something about that simple three-letter word and how the boy said it scared him to his core.

Nodding happily nodded. "She. She's really nice, we talked for a while and she told me a story."

Sarutobi was very glad he was sitting, at that moment. "Naruto... I don't know what the Kyuubi said to you, but it's a very tricky thing, and very, very dangerous."

"She not an it," the boy protested, indignation plain on his face. "And how do you know? Have you talked to her?"

The Hokage's mouth worked slowly for a moment, "Of course not. The Kyuubi attacked the village, there was no parley or banter. The tailed beasts are engines of destruction, beyond our power to really understand."

Naruto recalled the few things the kitsune had insisted he relay, that he use in talking with the old man. Luckily there was little need for tact or timing. These were the conversational equivalents to explosive tags, after all. "Why did she attack then? All of a sudden, coming after Konoha?"

That was actually something a lot of people wanted to know. Unlike the other tailed demons, which were strange in their manner and form, the Kyuubi was the lord of an established spirit clan. All the other monstrous chakra-beasts were aberrations, literal faults in the way the world worked, spiritual or otherwise. As far as Sarutobi understood it, the Kyuubi was something else, but there was nearly a taboo on it's very mention, much less information on it.

The other beasts had been literal ongoing natural disasters. Pulling their nature from and adding too their environment, they had been to a one subdued and enslaved in some manner to the other nations. Unlike them, the Kyuubi had literally just appeared, with the seeming single intent to level Konoha.

Sarutobi shook off his musing. "Be that as it may, the demon killed more people of this village in a single afternoon than Konoha had ever lost in a war. I cannot believe such a being to be benevolent, Naruto. Now, the seal-"

This seemed like a good time, Naruto thought, for another of the kitsune's 'suggestions'. "It's fine, I didn't mess with it, even if it's broken."

"What?" a few brushes and scrolls fell, as Sarutobi's hand snapped out with an impulsive twitch.

Naruto nodded, almost cheerfully, remembering that this was exactly how the kitsune had explained things would go. Otherwise he'd have shut up and tried to soothe the old man. The Hokage was his oldest friend after all, but this chance meant a lot to him, "You know how it's put together. It seals her in, cuts her off from her chakra."

The Hokage's breath was evening back out, as he quickly regained footing. This was no time to overreact. "Naruto. What did you mean that the seal was broken, specifically, and how would you know this?"

Nodding, the boy had the grace to look a bit abashed. They both knew he wasn't the best student, when it came to even the elementary Academy topics, given that was all he'd been exposed to. "Well. I could talk to her. Touch her. That seems pretty broken to me."

Worse and worse, the old man thought to himself, as the youth went on.

"Plus, she was pretty put off by being sealed in a boy, since they um..." he wracked his brain a moment, trying to recall the terms she'd used. "Oh. Right, used her Yang chakra as part of the seal, leaving her as well, a her."

That had Sarutobi frowning. True, Minato and himself had used the the Kyuubi's own chakra to build the seal, so that if it were broken, the feedback would by necessity lessen the released demon's power, at least initially. Even in such a state, it would be phenomenally powerful, and by all accounts still more than a match for any other tailed beasts, but that aside... they had used the Yin chakra, female chakra they'd thought, to seal the beast. Sarutobi halted, realizing what this meant. "We used what we'd assumed was the lesser of it's natures as the seal. So, Naruto, you're saying that the Kyuubi is naturally female?"

The blonde shook his head, recalling what the spirit had said, "No, not like that. She just had more experience with her past as one."

Past experience. Blinking, Sarutobi's mind raced. Something about this didn't fit, not at all. Separating himself and Konoha's tragedy from what he knew about the Kyuubi, it did make more sense. But in that case, that meant... "She was summoned. Someone had the power to summon the Kyuubi against Konoha, and we sealed it thinking it just another tailed beast."

The look Naruto gave him seemed answer enough. "We cannot unseal it, Naruto."

Paling a bit, the boy shook his head fervently, "No! No, no, neither of us want that."

That brought the old man up short. "What?"

"She... oh how did she explain it," Naruto's brows knit as he squinted, trying to recall the woman's words. "With the seal separating her chakra, it's been denatured. It's no longer hers." This made sense, but that the kitsune was so aware of the sealing was troublesome. With a large portion of the beast's own chakra used to maintain it's prison, it was a simple jump in logic to understand that such energy would have lost it's original affinity. That too was troubling.

"You have your own two base chakras," the Hokage thought out loud. "Spirit and body. Those are made up of the Yin and Yang as well, but the composition isn't important, yet. Now, we sealed the demon-"

"Kitsune," the boy corrected.

"...kitsune," shooting Naruto a glare, the man went on, "with it seems her own chakra, but the wrong kind. Perhaps it's an old man's folly to assume her female aspect to be less dominant.

"Now, her remaining chakra is all Yin. But your body's balance is Yang," Sarutobi considered this and winced. "And you say that the seal is broken?"

"She explained how we can talk now. Something about stress and," pausing, he reached up with a wince, scratching at the wound on his temple again. "Fear. Of death."

The Hokage sighed, leaning back in his chair and reaching for the comfort of his pipe. "I'm sorry, Naruto. We had hoped that the seal would allow you, in case of an emergency, to draw on enough chakra to escape it. But now, it seems we've added another burden onto your shoulders."

Naruto looked up at him, eyes bright but holding no malice. "I don't mind. She's nice to me."

Worrisome, Sarutobi thought quietly. He was easily seeing how this was going to become a very delicate situation, as far as talk of the Kyuubi was concerned. "Be that as it may, this imbalance in fundamental forces is going to put a heavy burden on your body. I fear it may make you sick, or even worse." The Hokage blinked when the boy nearly bounced in excitement, not the reaction he'd expected. "Naruto?"

This was it, the point the kitsune had told him about. "We came up with a plan!" Before Sarutobi could stop him, Naruto had performed a ram seal and closed his face in concentration. A sudden oppressive spike of alien chakra, red-gold in color but bearing none of the miasma of malice and hate that he'd come to associate with the Kyuubi swept over the boy, and left in it's wake...

A girl.

Sarutobi blinked owlishly, before performing a seal and throwing his hand out at the door. Bands of rock formed out of air, sealing the portal as he keyed in a specific sequence on his desk, forestalling any interruptions from ANBU. "Naruto. Explain."

Wobbling slightly, the girl sat back down and blinked a moment. "Oh. Right, explain. Should have done that first... er." She reached up with a familiar gesture to scratch the back of her neck, and the Hokage visibly relaxed. "Well, she worked out that the imbalance would cause me some serious issues around my teens," Sarutobi's mind tangented a moment while the girl before him paused.

A Kyuubi-powered male hitting puberty with their chakra in utter imbalance. Perhaps they should have done more research...

"...so she figured I should make the shell match the core. I think that's what she said."

"And you're alright with being... female?"

Naruto... rather the illusion Naruto was wearing grinned brightly, speaking with surprisingly, a slightly less reedy voice, "Yeah! It's great, people don't recognize me! No one's frowned or yelled or tried to hurt me."

That admittance stung the old man greatly, despite his ability to shrug off most of the guilt out of necessity. That the Kyuubi had mastered such a simple way to undo the boy's apparent suffering, turned their faulted seal into a non-threat, and ally herself with the jinchuriki binding her was... frankly frightening. All while still sealed, he reminded himself. Sarutobi shook himself. "There is a flaw though."

"Huh?"

Smiling sadly, the old man stood, "Illusions can't fix chakra problems like this, Naruto. To change your gender wholly like that would take-"

"A massive amount of power. Kyuubi didn't mind helping."

The Hokage's eye twitched. "This isn't an illusion? That's not..." Speeding his hands through a complex broad-spectrum Genjutsu counter, he locked into the last handseal, "Kai!"

Naruto blinked at him, still female.

Sarutobi sat back down, quickly. "Oh."

"Yeah, isn't it great? I tried out the Henge version while I was walking around yesterday. It's great, no one knows it's me!"

"Naruto, this isn't a joke or prank," the old man chided tiredly. He was too old for this by a few decades... "Even with your body changed, if you act the same, people will know. Though I see that the change in gender is fixing a number of the seal's issues, you can't just... change like this."

Nodding, the boy got a gleam in his eye. "That's something else we worked on..."

A trickster's nature – _her nature now – _was deception. The living lie that becomes more than truth to those it touches. Drive and desire and will were what Naruto bequeathed to his successor – the unshakable faith he could, and then she could – do anything, surpass, exceed and win. The kitsune's gifts were different of course, and more subtle. They were the thing of fantasies and stories. Not physical things, no.

_Ideas_.

The distilled dreams, as seen from the outside looking in on the world. She gave the reborn child the tenuous fabric of myth to weave a robe, and the dusting of legends to shade her eyes and lips. It wasn't an immediate thing, it wasn't even something the youth saw happening. It was there, regardless. Small words here, a tale there, a suggestion and example in the proper context as they spoke at odd hours, within that non-place that wasn't a shrine.

The problems began when the lie started touching her as well. Because, knowing falsehood, one saw truth for what it actually was.

_Today would change everything._

"Thanks, come again!"

So the small slip of paper claimed. It was a cheap, amusing thing, printed on receipts. A token frivolity that the grocer found humorous.

She waved to the shopkeeper, tucking the bundle against her to hold open the door for an older woman who was entering. The matron smiled in thanks. Out in the street, people nodded and sometimes waved in recognition. Luckily it was a short trip from the grocers to her apartment. The slip lay in her pocket, forgotten.

There were a number of wards in Konoha, each with a sort of flavor to them. Each also had either one or more of the 'noble' houses connected, as the largest and therefore more suitable lands lay on the outside of the village. This allowed for those clans to have their own grounds for training, privacy, and building. In an amusing turn of slang, if one divided Konoha into a pie, the 'crust' would be the lands those clans held. Upper crust indeed.

She was the last person that would claim a habit of introspection. Yet, today seemed different. Crossing the bridge between the market ward and its markets to her the one her small apartment called home, the blonde girl who had taken the name Naru Kazami paused, watching the crystal-clear river below her flow.

Maybe it was the shop, and the people. It had been three years since she put to rest the boy Naruto Uzumaki. Let him die in a fire she started in the run down, ratty apartment that became his home. Three years since she'd shrugged off the filter of hate that seemed fixated on that name.

Naru Kazami was a construct, a project that included the Hokage's experience and the Kyuubi's cunning. Like most hidden villages, Konoha wasn't a political island. Surrounding it were enemy and ally states, and with the recent wars and skirmishes, there were more than enough excuses and opportunities for a 'war orphan' to arrive and take up residence. This helped explain her sudden appearance as well as her blonde, blue-eyed features.

Though there was some incredulity on the Hokage's part, Naruto had insisted on the original form. A female version of himself, with the only change the necessary hiding of his whisker markings. They were still there... but hidden. Most of the time, at least.

Naru then became part of Konoha's daily life, reveling and adjusting to a home town that suddenly didn't hate him. Her, rather.

There was a strange irony at work, and it took her a year to understand it. Luckily the buffer of her cover story allowed some time to adjust to people being nice to her. _Kind_. She shied away expecting tricks, was wary as a mouse at any smile. Though she'd always dreamed of such a thing, the sudden change was abrupt and startling. People wrote her reactions off as an orphan's due, and actually praised her for it. Good survival instincts. Good habits for a future ninja. Good habits for a young girl.

Yet, Naruto Uzumaki had been damned for the same things.

The boy-who-wasn't spent the next year learning from her landlord, an immigrant smith named Yasugi. Shut up in forges, hidden in dark rooms with hands full of unfamiliar tools, it let her take time to build something she'd come to realize was absolutely needed in the world she'd walked into. A mask. Not literal, but mental. Naruto had worn his heart openly, shown his hurt to the world and then dared it to break him. It had. Naru would learn from that mistake.

The kitsune had told her that this was more than just a 'change of clothes'. This was a living lie. Warned the suddenly-female youth that now, everything changed. She'd not listened, of course. It would be like a game, she'd thought, gleefully watching herself move in the mirror that first day. When they all missed him, when they realized Naruto was gone, then she'd show them!

It was fun, until she'd put Naruto Uzumaki to rest, and seen only three people show any sadness at all. Three people who then went on with their lives, without him. Naruto Uzumaki truly died that day.

The irony came when Naru realized in that third year, she began to hate those faceless masses as well. Not the misplaced hate and simmering guilt-laden impotence of those that hated Naruto for the Fox inside him. Not the sidelong disregard that was shown by those who simply didn't understand. She hated them for never recognizing there was something special about that boy, about his willingness to do anything for them. For failing to see his will and hope and drive. He had been innocent, a real innocent, and they had killed him as surely as if they'd set the fire, and not her.

She wasn't innocent now. She had no desire to demand their respect, recognition. In her third year, Naru realized that she was adrift. Much like the few leaves on the water that flowed below the bridge she stood on. Casting off her musing, the kunoichi in training hurried on, not wanting her groceries to spoil.

Her apartment was on the riverside, overlooking the market ward, from what was affectionately called the Ruins. It was anything but, yet the joke stuck. New apartment buildings and businesses sprang up all over like mushrooms, feeding on the remains of the Uchiha's clan grounds. Some older businesses moved from their original homes with the surplus of space available promising new money and new venues. It wasn't an empty promise.

Below her apartment one of the new shops opened it's doors, it's owner the migrant from another country who took her in. Shop was perhaps a bad word to use – he didn't really sell anything there. He was an older man, practically ancient really. Specializing in custom smithing, he had an easy relationship with Tenten's grandfather, supplying contract work so the normally harried smith could focus on outfitting the ninja of Konoha. The two shared work space, her landlord Yasugi paying a fee for the use of the other man's forges. Yasugi was a genius smith, and the relationship brought both of them profit.

He also made a rather stellar bowl of ramen. "Gramps! Hey, are you home? I brought groceries!" Naru, nine years old now, was the man's unofficial apprentice. This applied to cooking as well as steelcraft. "Hey, Gramps! Are ya home?"

"Yes, you noisy brat, I'm here," grumbling, the man stuck his head out of the back room, hands black with steel and iron residue from his work. No real smithing took place inside the old man's home, but he did prefer the comforts of his own space for doing engraving, polishing and any detail work that didn't require a forge. Still, it was messy work. "You get to-"

"Putting away the groceries, I know, I know," grinning the while, Naru bounced away on her errand, stuffing food and goods for the next few day's meals away in their various places. "You want me to cook tonight?"

A grumbling affirmative drifted out of the man's work area. Naru wasn't the craftsman old man Yasugi was, either as a cook or smith but she managed well enough for the two of them in the kitchen when it was needed. The old man never complained, and since it was ramen... "So how are Tenten and her old man doing?"

Another muffled grunt managed to work its way to her, "Better than me with my yapping brat of a boarder." Snickering, Naru managed to get dinner started while old man Yasugi cleaned up to join her.

He may be gruff, and nothing like the last old man to take her in, but he was here now, and that's what mattered to her. "So I take it there was another custom order?"

"Stupid ANBU can't seem to take care of their blades," he griped, finally parting the heavy curtain that kept metal dust and chemical fumes out of the rest of the house. Yasugi was a testament that age hardened people, looking like nothing less than a piece of petrified wood carved into the form of a grumpy old man. Only slightly taller than Naru, he still cut an imposing figure, being tightly muscled from his time at the anvils. So long at them in fact, that he now had to walk with a cane, his back weakening before the rest of his body.

"That and another lordling brat of the court needs a sword 'suiting his station'," with a snort, Yasugi looked out at Konoha, shaking his head. "Should send the little pissant a butter knife."

"Huh," thinking back, Naru paused long enough to nearly boil the water over. "I remember a... Yugao? Hung around with that coughing guy. She seemed to be alright."

Yasugi nodded, absently rubbing at the back of arm. "Hmph. Yeah, only seen those two once though. Few of those uppity shits," rifling about in the cabinets the old man took his annoyance out by loudly, and with too much force, setting the table. "Few of them I don't trust to not stab themselves to death eating."

"Not everyone can be a weapon's master, old man," Naru chided, though she giggled at his irritation. "At least business is good."

"Say that after I have you etching _tsubas_ and setting _habaki's_ for the next three nights. Not to mention the work on _sayas_ and casting _menuki_ to suit."

Naru's eyes grew to the size of saucers. Sword hilts and braces? Scabbards and grip decorations? "No way! I'm supposed to be training! How can I get through the Academy if every night I'm stuck in this stupid works_OW_!" Hopping back, the girl rubbed at the knot on her head, where Yasugi's cane had hit. "What the hell!"

Keen if weary eyes pinned her in place. "You wanted to learn how to make a sword. You could have sold your time to Orikata, and spent your nights giggling and hawing it up with his girl Tenten. You could have had the easier time with him, making good weapons."

"But yours are the best-"

"Which takes work, girl!" Yasugi's voice roared out, making her cringe. When the echo from his bellowing died off, the old man set the last plate. "Tomorrow after your classes meet me at Orikata's. We have _tamahagane_ to harvest."

Unlike other 'harvests' one could find in a village, there is one that was particular to the local smiths that served to determine how and what quality materials they were able to provide. Steelmaking wasn't a complex thing if one wanted disposable weapons, like kunai knives and senbon needles, and even functional blades like kodachi – the staple sword of the ANBU – which were made from what Yasugi referred to as 'junk steel'. These weapons were made en masse and had little true craftsmanship to them. That wasn't to say Orikata was a bad smith, quite the contrary.

He just happened to make a better profit making fast weapons that didn't need the attention to detail Yasugi spent on them. It helped that the other smith had three sons and Tenten to help around the forge, speeding things along. Not that he'd ever complain about Naru and her enthusiasm. The girl was worth two of those layabouts in his mind.

_Tamahagane_ was the pinnacle of raw steel. It took nearly a week for the whole smelting to finish, from clay basin casting to the finished bloom that was broken for it's varying grades. Each smithy sent their various apprentices when Orikata set up his long forge for the month's supply, and each received their due in steel based on how much time and material they contributed to the smelting.

Yasugi would be lucky to get enough quality steel to make five swords a month, and if commissions exceeded that, then he was forced to buy the quality steel he needed from either Orikata or other smiths to fill his orders. Regardless, it was well worth the time spent, as the swords that the steel yielded were so fine that any one he crafted would pay for a week's worth of the other smith's work.

All in all, it was fairly balanced in truth. Yasugi was a true master and because of the time his craft took, he could only focus on a blade a week, perhaps less depending on the commission. Some would think Orikata would feel the old Snow smith was hedging him out, or stealing his business, but the bottom line was the man simply didn't have the time.

Rather than compete, the two complimented each other. Any spare blades Yasugi made, Orikata sold, and any excess steel that the master smith needed, Orikata sold at a discount.

It didn't hurt that their 'daughters' were good friends and any animosity that grew between the smiths was stamped out with extreme prejudice. "So, we have the month's orders already started. We should see about upping our material billet. Buying more black sand for the forging-"

"No," spooning ramen into his bowl, Yasugi eyed his apprentice narrowly. "No, we won't be buying more sand or charcoal. Nor will you be spending more than your usual five hours a day during the next harvest."

Naru huffed, sending steam spiraling around the room. She crossed her arms, pout firmly in place, "Why not? I could start making swords too."

"Not ready," the old man muttered around his noodles.

"Tenten's making swords."

Snorting, the smith gave her a withering glance, "Tenten is a nice girl. And she can also pour molds. I suppose that's something."

Naru's color rose at the slur toward her friend. Pouring molds to make weapons was a cheap, inexpensive way to mass produce highly disposable items that one didn't care about. Caltrops, sometimes shuriken, maybe even training kunai could be mold poured. Saying it was all a smith could do was high insult. "Now you wait just a minute-"

"Hush up. You know I wasn't serious, brat." Sighing, the man shook his head, pointing with the same chopsticks he had a morsel of meat pinned between. "She's good, for her age. Like you," Yasugi took the bite and mulled it about for a moment. "Now, if you spent the time on steel that you spend on noodles..."

"We all got our priorities, old man," she groused, slurping up broth after.

It grew quiet for a moment between them, as Yasugi stared at his young ward between bites. "Speaking of priorities. Iruka and Suzume had some interesting things to say about your studies." Naru's chopsticks rattled to the tabletop, the girl looking everywhere but at the old man across the table. "They tell me you've been calling out students again."

"...bluebloods need a _real_ lesson now and then-"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," though the old man's words were soft, there was the spine of steel behind them that she'd come to recognize, sometimes through painful lessons. It meant he was as serious as the edges he forged. "Listen. Do you want to be a smith, spending your days nursing fire and shaping metal, till your back grows brittle and your hands shake? I agreed to teach you, to give you something to pay your boarding, but you made it clear it wasn't what you wanted to do. Not a career. No, you wanted to be a ninja, and use that steel. Did that change?"  
She sat silently, staring at her hands, flashes of her earlier thoughts laughing in the dark corners of her mind. "What do you mean? Are you not happy with me?"

"Hells girl," sighing, Yasugi rubbed a hand across his craggy face. "You don't see it do you? Every time some blooded brat gets under your skin, you send them home black and blue or come home that way yourself. How long do you think the Council will tolerate that? How many more times till they have you thrown out?"

"They have it coming," falling back into her chair with a sigh, the nine year old pushed her bowl away, laying her head on the cold wood.

"You will listen, and listen well Naru," the old man replied icily. "I honestly don't care about those pampered brats. I don't care about your Academy and their politics. I care about you, but if you keep working them to the quick, one day they'll dig you out like a splinter. What is it you have to prove? Why do you push those children, the ones with bloodlines and clans behind them like you do?"

Naru leaned on her hand staring at nothing for long moments. "I... don't have a reason." The lie came hard, as she did respect the man, respected him enough to deal with his foul moods, his grumbling and bad humor. Still, what could she say? "I'm sorry Gramps, but they have it coming. I just can't sit around those bloodline brats with the Kyuubi growling in my ear all day! Seeing them get privileges from the Academy because of their parents, not how hard they work. Seeing an entire village treat them like a treasure while I had to suffer just to eat." Inherited grudges... in one of her classmate's words, too troublesome.

"Well then, I think the solution is as simple as the reason. Stop this foolishness, or I'll not only withdraw my support from your training," Naru gaped, but he continued, unphased. "I'll stop training you as a smith, and evict you."

Wide eyed, the girl felt the world fall out from beneath her. He'd go that far? "N-no way! You can't!"

"I will," sighing, the man shook his head slowly. "Listen. You want to be a ninja, then stop being a child. I'm not telling you to become a brooding bore like some of them, but take this in the way it deserves."

She was still shaken from Yasugi's threat. "What do you mean?"

"Being a ninja isn't a child's game," the old man growled, stabbing a finger at the young girl. "Ninja are the backbone of the Element countries. They're a human resource, granting power where they go, and using it to further their Kage's wishes, who may or may not work to better their home nations. Th bottom line, Naru, is this world is built on war, and death. This is no child's game you're trying to play. So tell me, are you serious about this? Serious enough to kill or die at the whim of an old man in a tower?"

Hating him for it just a little bit for breaking her dream little by little with each word, Naru wiped away the moisture in her eyes those words brought. "You make it sound like you don't want me to be a ninja."

"Sense! Finally!" Rising with a groan, the old man gathered up his things noisily. "A smith. Oh, no doubt you could be great – but look at yourself! Going to spend that pretty face on soot. Of course not, you choose death! Ninja, feh!" Throwing his dishes in the sink, the old man leaned on the counter, staring out at the town that bustled around them. "You just don't see it. So, ninja start early. Teams start when you're ready, average of around twelve years old, right?"

"If you don't get promoted sooner, yeah."

Yasugi snorted. "So, killers at twelve. How many in your class was it? Nearly thirty? Now, think about this hard, Naru," turning around, the man tapped the cane he carried on the ground, an ominous sound with the floor below hollow for his shop. "How many of those top ranks do you see? Jounin they're called I think. Thirty new ninja a year, and how many walking around Konoha over the _age_ of thirty, hm?" Not waiting for her to reason out what he meant, Yasugi stalked off in a shuffle for his bed, apparently finished with their conversation, and the day.

She knew what he was trying to say. Somewhere deep down she knew it was truth.

Ninja died. Their business was death, after all. Often against other ninja, who thought the same.

Ninja were resources, spent on a village's well-being.

Ninja were born every year, making them less valuable as a single person.

Despite it all... she would not change her path. _Hokage_... the idea had lost appeal since that night, years ago. Finally confronting the Third, after deciding to accept the Kyuubi's gift. The man was surprisingly forthcoming once she – he then, as Naruto – had admitted to already knowing about the beast trapped in the seal.

The old man had been surprisingly pliable to her requests. After hearing the depth of hate she was beginning to harbor against the town thanks to the whispered secret being anything but that. His and the Fourth's plan had failed, and though she didn't specifically say it was the Kyuubi who had convinced her to this path...

It was no six year old's plot. To fake their own death in a small fire, easily staged to be set by some 'angry survivor' of the Kyuubi's attack. It was later a point of sick justification on her part to point out how many stepped forward, to claim responsibility. It was also the turning point between her and the Hokage. Maybe it was that guilt, maybe just the need to improve her cover, but they'd grown distant, almost cold. No more was it 'Gramps' or 'Old Man' when she visited the tower. The kitsune had insisted on that, making sure her cover was solid.

She was a master of such things, after all. Regardless, it still hurt.

Naru was lucky to have found Yasugi, but such was the way of things. Perhaps that also added to the distance between them. The Third saw himself replaced, and Naru wasted no time setting aside her old life for a new one.

"Hokage," she murmured, picking at her ramen fitfully. The idea didn't instill the same fire in her it once had.

Her hand reached into that pocket, pulling the slip out into the light. _Today will change everything_. The sound it made snapping and hissing when fed to a candle was more satisfying than ramen.

Contrary to belief, the first few days after the _tamahagane_ harvest were anything but the flurry of activity that one would expect. Tending the smelting basins for three solid days, the exacting attention to detail, and then finally the massive haggle and quarrel over the final steel left everyone frayed and tired.

"Damnit, Naru, wake up!"

Landing on her back again after a nasty kick-grapple combination, the blonde could only grunt as the air slowly managed to work it's way back into her lungs. Apparently everyone but Tenten, the girl groused. "Ease up you harpy!"

Naru's view of the sky was interrupted as Tenten leaned over, hair up in buns and a concerned look across her features. "Ok. Now I know something's up. What's wrong?"

Rolling her eyes, the blonde settled her arm across her eyes, "Just kill me now, it'd be easier in the long run."

"Yes because dragging anything out of you is a job for ANBU Intel division, I know." Naru graced Tenten's quip with a single finger. Sighing at the girl's antics, Tenten folded her legs and sprawled beside her best friend. "Seriously though Naru, what's going on? You've been distracted all day, you're slow, you're obviously not focused. Lack of focus-"

"-is the ninja-killer, I know. I know!" Growling in a way the Inuzuka would find impressive, the blonde-haired girl flailed about, sending grass and debris up in a cloud. "Argh! I hate this!"

"Hate what?" Eyes round, Tenten could only stare as the usually calm and focused girl before her devolved into a railing tantrum. Oh, sure, Naru had a penchant for beating up kids who's seemingly only claim to ninja training at all consisted of who their parents were. Their kunoichi studies mentor, Suzume Namida, had an equally low opinion of some of them, if in truth, much quieter. No, Naru always had one thing going for her that their teacher found absolutely enamoring. Focus. For all Naru's infighting, backhanded insults, and sometimes open disdain, she was focused. She wasn't the best in her class, sometimes not even close, but there was never a time when Naru wasn't giving her all.

The young girl pitching the tantrum beside her, for all she resembled the Naru Tenten knew, could have been a total stranger. "Naru?"

Kicking her feet up so she ended up rolling into a sit, the girl in question regarded her querulously. "Look, I'm sorry. It's just... I kinda had my world shaken up some, ya know?"

"No, I don't know," Tenten sighed, scooting closer. "You haven't said anything. How can I know?"

Naru's blazing blue eyes dimmed a bit at that. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Sorry... Just so used to keeping everything bottled up I suppose."

"Hey, it makes sense," Tenten replied with a shrug. "I mean, you did manage to survive till you were six on your own somehow. It kind of goes without saying you're used to being private. But, hey, you can talk to me, you know?"

Yeah, Naru thought to herself, I could tell you how three years ago it was your old man Orikata that was with the guy who sent me to the hospital. Oh, sure, he was trying to talk the guy down, but it's still there. A reminder. Or, how nice it would be to tell someone, anyone that I'm not Naru Kazami the bright but quarrelsome orphan that wandered into Konoha three years ago, but Naruto Uzumaki, the same person just... hated by the entire village. Swallowing the bitterness her musing brought on, Naru smiled to her companion, "I know, Ten. I know."

They sat this way for s few minutes, till one of them fidgeted, tossing some of the grass Naru had ripped up at the other. This escalated to shoving, then to dodging kunai, and finally a full on spar, continuing where they'd left off.

Tenten was a real prodigy with ranged weapons. There was no secret the Academy planned to groom her for sniping, cultivating that amazing eye into something truly deadly. This was precisely why Naru liked sparring with the girl, as it was a test of her own abilities.

Where Tenten was strongest at mid-range, where she could build patterns of hail with senbon and kunai, Naru was a close-range juggernaut. It didn't really seem it, but to anyone who tried to grapple with the blonde, the realization usually came too late. She shrugged off weaker blows, just powering through them before exerting what some of the Academy instructors considered 'blatant overkill' tactics.

A good example of this would have been last week's sparring incident with an older Academy student. Naru was paired off with someone that would 'instruct' her on defensive tactics. Iruka was a critical man, kind when needed, but Naru's acting out had apparently pushed one of the man's buttons. The student, a taijutsu and close-range specialist named Mitsugi Seto, wasn't the sort that would likely pass the Genin exams. He was good, but there were obvious lacks in the boy's aptitudes. As this was his last year in the Academy, it was make or break, and the stress had made him an almost perfect bookend to Naru in a physical matchup.

Except he was almost half again as massive, and a head taller.

Everyone on the field could see what the scarred Chuunin instructor was planning, including Naru. She would later hear from Tenten there were bets as to whether she would go after him next, considering the look she gave the man, but then someone mentioned how Mitsugi was three years older and that Naru had no chance. Tenten had just smiled.

Everyone had gone quiet when Iruka authorized full contact, something nearly unheard of with the age difference between the two. The match started typically enough, with the older boy rushing her, hoping to catch her off guard and then end the spar quickly. Naru was blinking off her rage at what the man she'd called friend and worried on losing years before was doing, and didn't bother to block the taller boy's first hit.

A downward-angled palm strike to the collar, a 'crippling' move that was designed to lead into combinations that were punishing if not fatal. It didn't have the potential to knock the opponent away, but rather collapse their defense, which is why it wasn't often used in sparring. Swapping his stance, Mitsugi tried to follow up with an axe kick, sweeping his heel down into the girl's unprotected shoulder when all hell broke loose.

Everyone would have sworn that Naru had taken the hit, and fallen as expected. Most also thought she'd end up with her arm in a sling, her collarbone broken. Instead, she was back up and catching Seto's kick in a cross-hand guard, that quickly turned into reversal throw.

Mitsugi's charge was broken, and the muttering shifted from Naru's collar, to his knee that would end up sending someone to the hospital.

Naru was far from finished though. Seto rolled and recovered, favoring the knee but still on the offensive. His stance spoke as much, the half-second he held it before Naru slammed into him, having not even paused after the throw. Mistugi got off some punishing body blows that Naru seemed to not even notice, before again being sent across the sparring field after taking a lunging spear strike to the stomach.

Normally a move used to close distance fast and break or unsettle a defender's block, it was typically started well out of grapple range. Naru ignored that, and used the strike's full-body lunge coupled with the spear-point impact to send Seto crashing at Iruka's feet.

When the boy coughed blood on the Chuunin's shoes and passed out, he finally called the match.

The Council of course were interested as any other person her age would have been floored, if not totally knocked out by the taller student's first strike. She then had the audacity to simply shrug off any of his other strikes. Ignoring Iruka's part in the match, there were polite inquiries – some less polite – about her lineage, and what clan she'd been a part of, to give her that kind of resilience.

Records were pulled and though she told them as much, the Kazami name had no references to such a thing. Apparently stymied on their hopes of getting another bloodline into their records, the Council had grudgingly let the girl be.

Of course the Kazami line had no such records, as Naru made the name up. She knew her uncanny resilience came from the Kyuubi and her own practice at keeping her own and the Demon Fox's chakra well under the radar. What she later learned was that in doing so, she had begun at an early age practicing a basic Genin technique that hardened chakra around key points of the body, to reduce damage while fighting. Naru simply had a lot of chakra, and rather than just protect organs, it sheathed nearly all her tissues. Nothing came without a price though, and that resilience cost the young girl a lot of control when it came to ninjutsu skills.

With Tenten, who was her first and closest friend, Naru didn't play nearly as rough. Close range meant tagging, rather than the debilitating hits they both knew the girl capable of. On the other hand, the blonde encouraged the burgeoning weapons mistress to go all out, something Tenten adored about their sparring. Slamming kunai into stationary targets was one thing, having a thinking, moving, and aggressive target that could take the hits, grin, and keep on coming was another.

Half an hour of that and the pair broke for some water and a breather. Neither had enough room around their homes to practice, so often it was out to the Inuzuka-owned forests to do so, which often gained them either an audience of curious onlookers or occasional offers for other partners. After all, there was nothing ninja liked more than a challenge.

"Hey, Ten," Naru's tone stalled the brunette, who was using her storage scrolls to gather up and pack the armory of kunai she'd been hurling about. "Lets go get lunch, I'll... tell you about what's up. If you still want to know."

"Sure Naru," grinning, the other girl finished up her task, helping the blonde get the leaves from her hair. "But you know, it'd be easier to do this whole confide-in-your-best-friend thing if I didn't have to use you as a pincushion first every time."

"Quiet you."

"Ten, why do you want to be a ninja?"

The brunette blinked, stared, then shrugged at her friend. "I just do."

It was not at all the answer Naru had been expecting. "Wait, 'I just do,'? What kind of reason is that?"

Restaurant noises clattered about them, simple, human, satisfying like the food in it's own way. "Well, think about it, Naru," Tenten explained, setting aside her tea. "We live in Konoha – a ninja village. I'm an orphan, I have no family, I owe most of my life to Orikata for taking me in." Shrugging the girl loosed a sigh, "What else can I be?"

And there Naru realized, it was. What else could she be? No one had any illusions on what happened when ninja, even Academy aged ones, left their homes. Secrets kill, and were worth killing over. "I guess you're right."

"It's a kind of trap, in it's own way," Tenten mused, swirling her tea in it's cup. "We see and hear the stories about ANBU, about the Hokages. Then we sign up and sign our lives away to the Academy. You're in the books now – run away and they'll find you. Then you get in... and it's all different."

Three years ago, Naruto would have laughed. 'Being the Hokage means I can do what I want!' He may have crowed back to the girl. 'The Hokage can make any rule he wants!' Now, Naru saw clearer. It only took living her life though the lens of a lie to do so. "Yeah. I didn't see it before. I'm starting to."

Giving her friend her best smile, Tenten reached across and squeezed her hand. "Hey, don't worry. I think you'll be great. Best kunoichi ever – well, second best."

'Second best killer in town,' the blonde thought, painting on a sickly smile. 'Great.' Out loud, she replied, "Well, do you ever think about the other side of it? Assassinations, all the cloak and dagger stuff. Being made to kill?"

Tenten quieted, her smile fading. "Yeah. I think about it. You know, my parents didn't die to the Fox, like a lot of orphans our age. I'm a year older after all," she reminded the blonde. "They died in the war with Iwa. When I learned that, I decided."

"Vengeance?"

"Legacy," the brunette corrected. "They weren't killed in a raid, or a farm. They fought. All I have is that memory, now. So, I'll fight too. Because it's all I have left, really." Naru nodded quietly, but never looked up from the table. "Naru? What's... well why are you wondering about this now?"

"Me and the old man got into a fight a while ago. Some things he said really started me thinking." She waved down the brunette, who seemed to have gotten the urge to go find Yasugi and speak her mind with a kunai as translator, "No, it's ok. Really. I think I needed it."

"Yeah but, you've been off since, if it was just before the steel harvest. Not yourself at all."

"Huh?"  
"Well, before you had this... drive. Like nothing could stop you, you know?" Shaking her head, Tenten leaned back and smiled sadly at her friend. "Now it just feels like that fire went out."

Naru laughed mirthlessly a moment, before taking a bite of a bean bun. "I started wondering, 'Why do I want to be a ninja' and came up with a big, stupid blank. I was living in a dream, looking a the top of the ladder and not noticing it had no rungs."

Tenten boggled at the blonde. "What? But you're... like the most promising kunoichi of your year!"

"That'd be Haruno, or her friend Yamanaka," Naru replied with a shrug. "With my control issues I'm more like that Lee guy in your year."

Tenten suppressed a shudder thinking about the energetic boy. "Well, he's a taijutsu specialist too, but you can use chakra – he can't. That puts you a bit above him at least."

Sighing, Naru shook her head, "Not really. My control is garbage."

"All this aside though, you had a goal, right? A dream?"

Blushing and looking away, Naru nodded slightly. "Yeah. I... keep this to yourself, alright?" Tenten nodded, giving the blonde a look that relayed how silly that request was. "I wanted to be Hokage."

"Hokage," blinking rapidly a moment as she digested that, Tenten regarded her friend a moment. "Why Hokage?"

"I thought it'd make people respect me. That it'd show them I was something other than just an orphan or what they see," Naru skirted the issue carefully, not sure if Tenten recalled her previous life's rants on this topic. _Kami_ knew he was loud enough about it then. Recently though, a new reason had reared it's head, "That I was worth as much as those bloodline types."

"That's... tough," the weapons mistress admitted, idly spinning a chopstick between her fingers like a senbon. "The Council is more in charge of that kind of thing. And well. Konoha loves their bloodlines."

"Tell me about it," the blonde groused, recalling teachers handing out copies of technique scrolls like candy to the 'noble' clan children, while the rest just kept on drilling the same basics over and over. She recalled the intense interest in her suddenly, when there was a hint her talents were blood-borne and growled quietly. "I wonder some days how some of them can claim to be ninja at all."

Tenten sucked in a breath, eyes wide. "What?"

"Listen, I have nothing against the Akamichi family, ok? But really, I've seen Choji's dad do that gumball tank-"

"Meatball tank," Tenten corrected, earning her a sharp laugh in reply.

"Yeah, like that's any better. Anyway. How does that fit in with a ninja's skills? Stealth, accuracy, discretion, speed. And this guy's bulldozing walls and bouncing around like some kind of insane ball." Shaking her head, Naru gestured around widely, "All the jutsu too. Fire dragons and these massive fireworks effects and earth techniques that may as well be small earthquakes. What's subtle about any of that?"

"I see what you mean," Tenten replied, her voice low and hands going out to calm down the irritable Naru. "But you see why, don't you?" The blonde shook her head slowly. "Well, think of it like this.

"You have two people, with an unlimited arsenal to work with. But the goal is to defeat the other with only the minimal power needed. Person A brings a knife. So, seeing that he'll need a bigger weapon to overcome the knife, Person B brings a kodachi. Now, Person C sees that, and brings a full-sized tachi. D will bring out a yari or naginata, E will get a zanbato maybe."

Naru nodded in understanding, recalling a few of the tactics lectures she'd payed attention to, "Power escalation."

Smiling, the brunette agreed, "Yeah, it's simplified but there you go. People will always try to have superiority over their fellows. When one country learns skills, the others scramble to catch up and pass them. To stay secure in their position, advances are always being made. Tying in with something you said earlier, Konoha's bloodlines mean the village has a constant buffer. Well meant, as the Uchiha were the big equalizers there. Send three out to a battle where new jutsu are being used and Bam! We're caught up."

"Seems cheap though," Naru countered, stiffening at the flash of ire that swept through her at the idle acclaim Tenten had handed to the Uchiha. Taking a stilling breath, she pushed the kitsune's anger aside.

"Well we are ninja," Tenten quipped, missing the small conflict that had just raged nearby. "Fair and honorable are for the samurai. We're just there to get it done, no matter how."

It was a hard thing to think about, for a nine year old Naru. To consider that they were training to be something like that. "True I suppose," Stretching with an affected yawn, the blonde set out some coin for her meal. "I think I'll head back. Been a long day." Waving, she made her escape, not wanting Tenten to follow tonight. She had enough to think on, and selfish as it was, she wanted to do so alone.

She missed Tenten eyeing her speculatively, not believing the blonde's lie for a moment.

The shrine's door banged shut behind her. She was vaguely disgusted with herself. Three years now, and the field, the unending expanse of blue and gold still made her blood go cold and the noise...

Shaking off a creeping shudder, Naru peered up into the Kyuubi's waiting, golden eyes. "You have returned," words like steel sheathed in silk.

"Yeah," no matter how many times, now much she tried – when had _that_ started? – Naru could never match the kitsune's tone, her quiet sensual ease at letting words drip like honey laced with cyanide. Deciding that directness was best, the kunoichi straightened, meeting the Kyuubi's eyes with her own blue, "I've been feeling you more."

Ruby cupid bow lips curved, "Is that so...? How have you been feeling me?"

A blush crept across Naru's cheeks, and she looked aside quickly. Leave it to the fox to notice _that_ as well... "A-at the diner. I felt you pressing against my head. Talking about the bloodlines."

The kitsune made a dismissive gesture. "Fit of pique," the woman-shaped-spirit replied easily, casting aside the young girl's concern as if it was meaningless.

"The hell you say!" Marching up to the _honden_, Naru leaned forward, glaring angrily. "What is that? You think you can control my emotions by pushing like that?"

To her surprise, the kitsune matched her pose, face inches away. Naru saw the narrowing slit and the wide, gold pattern swirling in the woman's eyes, "You expect me to remain, passive and corralled in this place? I, who claim the rule of the most cunning clan?" The kitsune's words boomed around the room, the very air warping around them, despite being spoken in a low hiss, "I who laid low cities, countries in boredom!"

"And who was defeated by one man," the young girl sniped.

The Kyuubi's eyes bled red all the way to their slits, as the kitsune's hands came up in wicked claws to rend at the invisible wall before her. "You dare!"

"Because I have to!" Naru's scream pushed the kitsune back physically. This was not their first, nor likely last contest of wills in this place. "Look. I agree with you, I do. We have to work together, more every day as the seal weakens and what you are bleeds over into me, but I can't, I won't be a... _tool_ to you."

"You would do well to remember I feel much the same," the kitsune replied, tone quiet but bearing a promise of pain. She looked up, face feral and furious. It was noted in a small corner of Naru's mind, that the transition from stunning beauty to shocking brutality seemed far too small.

Sighing, Naru slumped, resting her back against the _honden_. "I'm sorry. You know it's just... how out of control my life was before. Then I finally get my hands on the reins! And now, it's like-"

"It didn't change anything," the kitsune said, completing the girl's thought. "Yes, I know of futility. Each success brings only new views, new problems." Naru could tell the woman was mirroring her again, by the sound of her voice. She felt the vibrations through the barrier as the kitsune spoke. With a sigh the spirit tapped at the wall, a little game they played sometimes.

"It's still out of control. This seal, you, the Academy..." Naru picked up the tempo, easing into the odd, impromptu music of their tapping. Soon she was smiling, if faintly. "Do you want to hear about it?"

The kitsune shifted, moving to the center of her space. Much like before, the woman's form – Naru easily saw now that she was beautiful – splayed out in a way that screamed sensual appeal and slow, languid promise. It was the same boneless, sinuous motion she'd made the first, and every other time that Naru had been here.

Regardless, it still made the girl blush. She stepped over the _honden_ without pause, knowing that no matter what argument they had, how heated their screaming, there was nothing to fear from the kitsune. Rather, that _she_ had nothing to fear.

The smaller blonde curled up against the kitsune's side, an arm draped across the taller form's waist. "So, kitling. Tell me about what tells on you so."

Eyes unfocused as she spoke, Naru loosed her fears and worries about her future. How now, more than ever, her dream of being Hokage seemed tarnished. "Before... I'd always wanted it, so people would accept me. Respect me."

"And now they do," the kitsune noted, a questioning note in her voice.

Naru nodded, letting her head lay against the warm form beside her. "Somewhat. I mean I have friends now. Tenten and Orikata and his sons. Yasugi and the people at the Academy. It's so strange, but now," she paused, breathing a heavy sigh. "I don't know what I want now. I thought being a ninja would be..." she stalled, blinking.

"You did not know at all, did you? What to expect from such a thing."

"No I didn't, and now," Naru shivered slightly in her position, laying against the Kyuubi, the kitsune's tails curling up over the smaller form. "Now I don't know if I want it."

The spirit sometimes known as the Demon Fox glanced down at her host, a hand idly straying through the young girl's hair. She had worried that giving the child such an obvious gift would come with a heavy toll, and this wasn't outside her expectations. "You study with the smith now?" Naru nodded silently. "Then think on this.

"A shinobi is like one of your swords," the kitsune began, gesturing outward slowly. "A hand is needed to wield it. In this case, the hand is the Hokage." Pausing, gold eyes glanced down, "But, there are always legends of powerful swords, that have lives and tales beyond those of the ninja who bore them."

"A tool with it's own path as well?" Naru blinked, considering that. "I'm not sure how that would work, for me. I mean, I don't think we're given enough leeway to 'make our own rules'."

The kitsune grinned slowly. "It may not be _the_ answer, but perhaps it will lead to one."

Naru nodded, lazing in the kitsune's embrace. Even if she couldn't find an solutions to her problems, it was worth it just for this.

She may have been surprised to know that behind slitted bronze eyes, similar thoughts stirred.

"Better."

"Damnit," swearing wearily, Naru let the tongs fall to the side, though easily so as to not harm them. It wasn't the tool's failure, it was hers. "I just..."

Yasugi straightened with a grunt, after inspecting her work. "You think to match me in five years?" The old man chuckled warmly, dulling the edge on his words. "You're improving. That's what matters."

Naru looked at the dull, pitted, blade-shaped form with blank, emotionless eyes. She was allowed one sword's worth of steel a month to work on, to practice and demonstrate that the old man's lessons weren't wasted. She'd started in her fourth year as Naru, and though she listened to his lessons, paid as much attention as her mind would allow, the results this last year had all been the same. The waste of material before her was the last in many of those attempts. "I don't know what went wrong."

"Let me help you then," the words still took Naru by surprise, no matter how many times Yasugi or Tenten or an Academy instructor used them. The only person who could say such a thing and not shock her, even just a little, was the Kyuubi.

Yasugi sat after throwing open the forge's windows, letting fresh air whirl in and sweep the metallic stink of her work away. "You understand the theory well enough, but I see some of it isn't quite connecting."

Looking at the ugly ruin of her latest attempt, Naru could only nod. "But I'm doing everything right."

"You _think_ you are, which is even more dangerous," the man corrected. "Listen. To a craftsman, their works is their life. Literally. If you can't do the work, you don't eat, have no home. In a way, it's like your ninja path. We have our way as well, and each craft I suppose has it's analogies on life. For now though... lets just worry about your forging." Naru blinked at the sudden snipped of insight, but almost as quickly the old smith's tone changed, "If you feel your actions are correct, and are unable to see past them to the reasons why they lead to failure, then you cannot overcome those mistakes."

Naru blinked at the man owlishly. "I see," she murmured quietly, automatically. She didn't fully, but the more that idea circulated in her head, the more it took root. "Then, you're saying that if I want to improve, I have to look at everything as a potential failure, and see what I can change?"

"Not everything," the man replied, leaning on the bellows. The massive device let out a slight wheeze at his weight. "Think of it like this. We'll break down the forging into three steps. Heating, folding, shaping.

"Heating the blade allows it to be shaped. Heat allows you to shape the steel without destroying it. Each draw against the anvil and hammer needs to be measured. You cannot heat the whole blade – only what must be. To try and change more than is needed will cause your efforts to be wasted." Yasugi took up the now-cooled mass of mangled steel. "You heated the whole blade at once, then worked fast to make use of it. You cannot do so at every point in the heating, of the different hardnesses that make up a proper weapon are lost. You must do so with precision. One part at a time."

Yasugi took up a large hasp, and worked the steel a moment, scraping off a section of the outer skin quickly and with long practice. Normally Naru knew this was done with polishing stones, but with the points he'd said to make, she knew Yasugi was doing it to expose the metal's grain. "Now, here we see your folding. The strength of a blade is achieved through many long hours of taking a form, bending it on itself, using heat to make it pliable, then forcing back into the proper shape. We fold metal why?"

"It evens out the carbon content, reducing it to proper levels. It balances the weaker and stronger alloys together to give the blade the proper strength, without making it brittle."

"Excellent," the man agreed, smiling. He then pointed to the exposed segment of blade. "The repetition gives it strength. Here, you folded too broadly, and too few times. The grain is too wide, and because of that, the blade will shatter along those lines. What would normally bring strength, instead becomes weakness." To demonstrate, the man slammed the malformed blade into the side an anvil, causing it to shatter into three parts. Naru winced, her heart breaking just a little.

"I'm sorry," Yasugi said softly. "That was cruel, but necessary. Now we can see the shaping.

"Our blades are not a single piece of steel. We fold the highest carbon steels together, because they are different. This allows us to use the weld, where we fold them again and again, to drive out impurity, to give the edge a razor keenness, and impart differing toughness to each part of the blade."

Naru nodded at this, taking up a small fragment of her work. "The core and body are weak, edgeless, lower carbon steel. This lets the blade bend."

Yasugi smiled. "Good. And the outer later?"

"Folded high-carbon steel that can hold a fine edge and withstand impacts."

"And why the difference?"

Taking a breath, Naru looked at the cross-section of her work. The core was too small, the outer layer sheathing it in a 'V' too thick. "The edge takes the single impact, sending it to the core, which lets the blade bend to distribute the shock. So it holds, and doesn't shatter."

"No blade is a single stroke," the man agreed with a solemn air. "Each part is strong in it's own way. Each part has a precise function, but they are all the same," Yasugi peered at her intently, over the wrecked blade. "Remember this. We smiths, like most craftsmen, have found wisdom in our work that crosses many borders."

Naru blinked rapidly, trying to discern his meaning but failing. Still, she sat long after he had risen with a grunt, patting her on the shoulder, considering his words. It would not be the first time he had given her some kernel of wisdom, wrapped up the the jargon of his craft. She sat and thought about the forge, the blade, and herself. It wasn't till nearly midnight that she left the small, cold, silent forge.

The zanbato struck the ground with a dull 'thunk', sinking a slightly into the ground at an angle and staying there. "You have got to be joking."

Yasugi grinned in a way that reminded Naru uncomfortably of her unwilling passenger. "Not at all. You think I don't see how you push your chakra around?" The old smith leaned against the blade, budging it not a bit. That wasn't surprising, as the thing probably massed as much as she did, and not counting the grip, was as tall. "You haul around raw steel like it weighs a quarter of it's mass, you shrug off the few accidents around the forge that would have put me in the hospital, and yet you can't wield a forging hammer with any kind of precision."

"No, I mean it, tell me how you really feel," the blonde sniped, stung but the man's comment on her technique, brief as it was.

Sighing, the old man closed his eyes, reaching up to rub at the bridge of his nose. "What I mean is this. You have too much chakra to deal with, this is obvious. You pump it back into your body constantly to control it, and that's good. I'm no ninja – never was, never wanted to be – but it's part of the world we live in. Have to know.

"What I'm trying to tell you is this," Yasugi kicked back at the massive blade, causing it to chime dully. "Your control over it will improve as time goes on, the more you use it. The downside is that the way your doing so, you'll lose all precision with delicate actions."

Naru leaned back on the forge's wall, still eyeing that massive... thing that sat lodged in the ground. "So as long as I'm using my little trick to subdue my chakra, I'll never manage to be a smith," she muttered, bitter and angry. It wasn't that she'd built up the craft as a career, but it was nice to be good at something. With all the doubts that had been plaguing her in the last two years about her choice at being a ninja, this was just the final straw.

"I may have an ideal how to work with that," he held up a hand to stall her almost immediate question. "I'll know for sure in time. Right now I can't even give you a hint in good faith." Changing topics, the man continued, "Why do you try so hard to mask it," the smith queried her, gaze sharpening as she looked away quickly. "You don't have to tell me."

"Hrn," Naru sighed, banging her head against the brick behind her. "It's... an old thing. From before I met you. Lets just say if people knew what and how I did it, they'd be much less friendly toward me."

Yasugi's expression frosted over. "You mean like the purges, in Water and Kiri."

Naru blinked at the man in open confusion. "What?"

Seeing he'd backed himself into a corner – one did not leave a story untold around Naru unless they wanted to deal with the girl's ire – the old man settled down on a nearby log to begin. "Unlike Konoha, the Water country saw those of bloodline lineage as a liability. In a way, they are more like what ninja were, before the Shinobi Wars. They didn't use those massive, flashy, destructive techniques that could level battlefields. Water country values skill, subtlety, and hard work more than what shortcuts blood allowed.

"In time, the few bloodlines that Water tolerated began to feel the pressure, and thinking themselves able to push through, they started planning a coup." Yasugi shook his head, sparing a glance at the zanbato. "Mist responded with a program that exemplified their view on ninja. Where the bloodlines used inherited techniques that were often overpowering and out of scale for single, subtle targets, Mist responded with the Swordsmen.

"The program set out to train one candidate specifically to counter each prominent bloodline within Water's borders. The coup was put down, brutally, and Mist to this day has a very low tolerance toward anyone exhibiting such gifts." Yasugi eyed the girl closely, causing the youth to fidget, "Now, Konoha is about as opposite of Kiri as one can get. What you're talking about isn't a bloodline, obviously, or they'd be all over you. The only thing I can think of-"

"Stop." Naru's voice was quiet, but the man stilled, a slight smile on his face. "If we go on, we do it inside."

Yasugi nodded, leading the way from the forge Orikata ran to their home. The trip was spent in silence, the odd change from their usual behavior that a few noticed. Once they were safely closed into the man's smaller workspace, Yasugi took a look around and grunted, pulling a small slip of paper out of a dusty box, slapping it on the door.

Naru stiffened as the sensation of a chakra seal expending washed over her. "What-"

"Privacy seal. Small, pointless if you want to stay hidden, but civilians are allowed them in their homes with reasonable accommodation." Settling himself into the spartan chair he preferred, the old man regarded his ward critically. "Now. What is it that makes you so paranoid you can't speak of it in the open?"

Shaking slightly in her anxiety, Naru sat in the other chair, a squashy, fat thing that Yasugi kept for clients. She hated it, but it was the only one left, so she sank into it with a grumble. "Well, you seem pretty up to date on the history of the Element countries."

"Good to know where the business trends come from," the man replied, his measuring gaze not shifting since they'd begun talking earlier. "Speaking of history, I was about to mention something that struck a nerve. Why would talking about the Demon Fox do that?"

Naru visibly winced. If he were anyone else... Still, it shook her. Before the kitsune's gift, she didn't know why people hated her. Now she did, and the paranoia that this man would follow them. She didn't realize she'd been shaking till a firm hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her musing. "Calm down, brat. Whatever you're running from, I know enough in my old age to see things clearly. You don't need to worry about me. Now, spill before I start throwing the noodles in the trash."

The blonde snorted. "Alright, alright. You were mostly on the right track. The village has a grudge against the Demon Fox. It's about the only thing they hate in such a blanket way, outside of missing ninja."

"And since you're not worried about hunters..."

"Yeah."

Yasugi ran a finger along his chin, thinking. "Now, last time I heard anything about that, was a small while after I got here. There was some talk about the 'Demon brat' finally getting dealt with." Naru's eyes emptied of any emotion, as she leaned back and stared at the man. Despite his years of dealing with killers and professional warriors, that gaze always unsettled him. Coming from an eleven year old girl – his apprentice no less – it was more telling. "What does this kid have anything to do with you?"

"His name was Naruto Uzumaki," the girl before him said hollowly. Reaching up, she traced the edge of her finger across her cheeks, feeling the strange shift in her skin that meant the kitsune's gift was working. "_My_ name, was Naruto Uzumaki."

Blinking slowly, the old smith regarded the slight girl before him as faint lines appeared on her cheeks, like stylized whiskers. "You're trying to tell me that you were a boy. A boy who had a demon sealed inside him?"

"The Nine-tails could level mountains at a whim." She made a gesture that, looking back, reminded her of one the kitsune had done that fateful day. "This wasn't a big deal."

Yasugi sat back, blowing out a tense breath. "Well. That's... well."

Naru rolled her eyes. "Right. I'll go get started packing."

"The hell are you talking about, brat?" The blonde stiffened, shooting the man an expressionless glare. "Oh calm down. You think spending five years around someone, you'd know them a bit better," trailing off the old man shook his head wearily. "So this is why you have chakra issues?"

Nodding curtly, the girl stood warily by the door. "It's not that I don't have the chakra like most people think. It's that my control is trash because I can't just used the tiny amounts they expect me to, for these Academy skills."

"Hence your fabled overkill tactics," the man replied quietly. After a moment he sighed, straightening. "What happens when one of the Hyuuga use their Byakugan and see what you're doing?"

"...I hadn't thought of that." Groaning, Naru collapsed back into her chair. "You're taking this remarkably well, you know."

"I don't have Konoha's stake in it. All I know is my apprentice is suffering, thanks to some chakra issue she can't go to her supposed Academy over, because of their narrow-mindedness," huffing, the man considered a moment before growling quietly. "And being a smith doesn't get you the kind of contacts for this sort of thing."

Naru nodded woodenly, still somewhat shocked that Yasugi was being so... calm about things. Though it made a kind of sense, as he wasn't from Konoha, and really most of the reactions she'd come to dread were from those alive during the Kyuubi's attack. "It's just something I have to deal with."

Yasugi grunted, standing and pulling down the seal. "I'm going out. I should be back for dinner – no ramen damnit, we had it for lunch! – so until then, use that overkill of yours to start practicing with the zanbato."

Staring dumbly, she managed to scramble after the man after he mind kicked back into gear, "You're serious about that? There's no way I can use that thing!"

"Listen Naru, there's something that's important you need to hear," the old man had paused, getting his cane by the door. Turning to face her, he put a hand to her shoulder. "You will do it because it's possible. Despite what you think. You'll do it because, even though I'm not an expert, I know that it'll help you with control.

"Most of all, I know you'll do it, because otherwise I'll tell Tenten that you're a boy and have been having rather... _inappropriate_ dreams about her at night." The man's grin turned fierce as Naru's color rose sharply. "Now, get to work!"

"...I really hate you old man."

One problem Naru found while attempting to train with the zanbato was something she'd not really expected. She knew that the ANBU used swords, the more versatile kodachi at least, and that there were about three real swordsmen in the village that the old man didn't dismiss out of hand. Considering the population of Konoha, that was a vast minority.

A lack of any kind of trainer should have completely dissuaded her. Instead she pushed harder, realizing she had only herself to blame if she failed.

The second problem was the weapon itself. It was huge. Not just big by traditional weapon standards, but frankly stupidly large. It would have been a joke to put it on display in the shop, and to actually try and sell it... even Naru wouldn't try that. The zanbato Yasugi had tasked her with learning was nearly as wide as she was, the blade easily able to shield her if held sideways, while she turned to the side slightly. It's edge was only sharpened on the one side, the thing being straight for most of it's length until it tapered to a upswept point. All in all, it resembled nothing less than a giant's kitchen cleaver, with more graceful curves. It was as long as she was tall, with the blade ending at about eye-level if held tip to the ground. The grip extended above her head, being rather long, nearly a third again the blade's length.

And it was _heavy_. Not just 'large piece of metal' heavy, but frankly just massive. She more often than not just let it sink into the ground point-first when at rest, despite the damage such an act could cause the weapon. Ironically, if she saw anyone treating one of Yasugi's blades as she treated the zanbato, she'd likely give them a piece of her mind. Her treatment of the blade aside, it took considerable focus to keep chakra flowing into her body, to compensate for the strain of using it. Too bad that didn't help her with the academy-taught techniques, she quietly groused.

Not a problem in itself, that brought to mind another aspect of the blade that simply confused her. Despite him giving the weapon to her, it wasn't one of Yasugi's weapons. In a strange way she felt almost blasphemous using it, knowing the swordsmith had no hand in it's making.

She'd been three days into her rather clumsy practice, which typically consisted of guards, thrusts, and overhead cleaves. Most who managed to see the waifish girl swinging the thing, much less just picking it up, tended to stand and gape, which lead Naru to taking the thing out to a training area outside the market ward where the forges were. After a half an hour swinging the massive blade that nearly dwarfed her, Naru gained some unwelcome attention.

A violet haired ANBU dropped down from the nearby treeline, cat mask in place as she again worked through a slow set of strength-focusing routines. "Student."

Naru yelped and spun around her axis, the greatsword chambered behind her, ready to follow the spin. Seeing that the speaker was ANBU, she relaxed her arms, the blade turning to bear slowly. Blinking up at the masked figure, Naru grew tired of waiting for the ANBU to speak again and sighed, "Yes? Can I help you?"

"There are no masters of that kind of ungraceful weapon in Konoha," the figure replied in an even monotone. "You would do well to put it aside."

Though few got to see it anymore, one of the legacies Naruto left to the girl who succeeded him was his utter disrespect for authority that didn't earn their due. That's not to say she was blatantly disrespectful to them en masse out of principal – Yasugi had her respect, so did the Hokage and Orikata. On the other hand, right now, Miss ANBU was sitting on the top of the blonde's 'shit' list. Painting on a false smile, the girl grated out her words slowly, "Oh, that's fine. I think I'll keep on just the same."

The ANBU took a step closer, and Naru narrowed her eyes. "You do not understand," the cat mask replied, tone frostier if one could measure monotone. "Ninja do not use such blatant tools. It is disgraceful."

"Forgive me, ANBU-_san_," the blonde chirped, putting the necessary sarcasm into the address, "But as _ninja_, isn't it rote that anything is a tool, as long as it assists in the mission? Isn't that why jutsu more suited to castle sieges and urban warfare are standard procedure?" Scoffing, Naru upended the zanbato, thrusting it down into the earth solidly. She then leaned on the blade indolently, "don't talk to me about subtlety. It's a 'forbidden art' as far as I'm concerned."

Though she couldn't see the ninja's face, Naru could practically feel the threat rolling off the masked woman, and imagined her glare with a private smirk. "Yet you are an Academy student. At least what I know of your grades matches your disregard for our ways."

Naru went very, very still at those words. A silent minute passed between them. Barely managing her temper, Naru reached back and wrenched the zanbato from the earth, leaving a hole large enough to make practicing in that area hazardous. Turning away, Naru resumed her ready stance. "'Less you have something more compelling to say, ANBU-_san_, I have practice to continue."

Though Naru didn't hear specifically when the masked figure left, she checked after some time, using the cover of a sweeping backhand that made her shoulders ache to do so. Convinced she had the grounds to herself again, Naru stepped up her movements, pouring more of her chakra into already sore muscles.

Unseen, a violet-haired kunoichi grinned from the cover of the trees.

"I can't believe I got paired up with Lee."

Naru snickered, barely keeping from choking on her dango. They were taking a break in their routine, one of the few days Tenten had free from her new team. Naru may have preferred ramen, but dango was more portable. "I thought you said he wasn't so bad?" She tried to recall the taijutsu-specialist, who like Tenten, was a year ahead of the blonde in the Academy.

Said brunette groaned, falling backwards to start blankly at the sky. "He wasn't, not in the Academy. Then he met Gai-sensei... and it all got _strange_."

The blonde leaned back against her increasingly present zanbato which was as often happened, thrust point-down into the ground. Naru sat, eyeing her long-time friend skeptically. "Gai... oh. He's that energetic fellow in the green jumper, right?"

"Energetic? Energetic!?" Tenten shot up, glaring at the blonde who tried not to laugh but failed. "Alright. Come to training ground twenty-eight tomorrow at five-thirty. I'll show you 'energetic'."

Naru hummed, chewing her lunch slowly. "Isn't a little late to start training?"

"Morning, Naru. Morning."

"...er. No. I think I'll pass."

The blonde's head was suddenly forced back to bang against her sword, as her vision was full of brown, pleading eyes. "Please Naru! If I mean anything at all to you, you'll come save me from them!"

Tenten relaxed slightly as the blonde's hands rested on her shoulders. "I've enjoyed our friendship, Ten, but I feel it's time to move on-"

"Why you little!"

Naru scrambled out of the way laughing, as Tenten whipped a flurry of thrown steel at her. "Hey! Watch the kunai!"

"Maybe I'll get excused from training if I kill you!" Not giving up so easily, the older girl was up and pursuing her friend with a single-minded goal. Naru would come to her training, oh, yes she would. Tenten had to have _something_ to anchor her to the real world. The urge to just put on a green jumpsuit so the pain would lessen was getting stronger each day.

Just last night she'd woken in a cold sweat, after dreaming of a day training nothing but Dynamic Entry. The worst part, was she actually did it arriving to breakfast.

Orikata had only just restrained himself from putting her in therapy. "Come back here!" No, if Tenten was going to be dragged down into the pits of gibbering, green-suited, pearly-toothed horror, she was taking her best friend with her.

"Here, have some tea Naru," Tenten offered to her nearly-comatose friend. "It'll help you wake up a little."

The blonde in question mumbled, swaying on her feet slightly. This would normally not be a big issue, but Naru had brought her zanbato with her. Frankly, it still amazed the brunette that the slip of a blonde she had grown up beside of in the forges could even lift that thing, much less swing it.

Ducking as a stumbling Naru spun around, sword on shoulder, Tenten wondered if perhaps she should try to convince the girl to use something less... huge.

Regardless of her early morning stupor, Naru woke up enough before Lee and Gai arrived not to try and club them senseless with the back of her sword. Watching in dazed horror, she was audience to something Gai and the now-integrated Lee called 'Dynamic Entry', which for all intents and purposes made her wonder precisely how sane the older Jounin was.

"Oho, Tenten, I see our amazing display of youth and spirit has brought your friend!"

"Sensei! The bloom of our youth is in full power!" Naru turned her head slightly and regretted it immediately, as Lee mirrored the man's... pose. Down to the gleaming teeth.

Naru turned her head slowly to her friend, "What the blazing hell is wrong with them?"

"I don't think we have the time to go into it all," a quiet, snide voice replied. Naru glanced over to see a dark-haired boy approaching. It was just a moment later she noted the tell-tale Hyuuga eyes. "So you're the odd one Tenten speaks about. I recall you from the Academy," the boy's tone was dismissive, as if he'd already met, judged and found her lacking.

Considering the usual demeanor of the Hyuuga family, Naru felt that very likely. Always so polite, never outright saying anything that would label them rude, but never the opposite either.

She matched the Hyuuga's glare for a fraction of a moment before turning back to Tenten, not bothering to grace the long-haired boy with so much as a reaction. "Well, you didn't mention you had one of _them_ on your team," feigning sadness, the blonde laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Not that I blame you."

"Naru!" Tenten brushed her hand off, blushing in embarrassment. "This is my team! Don't make a scene."

It took a moment for Naru's mind to process those words. During it, she scanned left and right, taking in the people Tenten was defending... against her. Somewhat put off, the blonde turned away from sneering at the Hyuuga, her expression blanking by the time she was facing the girl. There was a small war going on inside the younger girl's mind, not that she was showing it. "Indeed. You seem to get along well with your team."

The older girl had the grace to blush. "I... well it is, what it is. They're my team. I have to."

Naru's blue eyes could have been made of ice. "I see," Her words, and Tenten's knowledge of her own mind betrayed her though. Regardless, she ignored the girl's wince, continuing as her voice matched the chill of her eyes, "Why precisely did you bring me out here, Orikata?"

Tenten's eyes widened slightly at the use of her adopted family's name. It had been years since Naru had called her anything but the pet name Ten, and the sudden coldness in that formality coming from the blonde stung. "I..."

"Perhaps Tenten wanted to work with those of similar talents, rather than dragging her feet with someone so... limited," the pale-eyed boy replied while the brunette stumbled to answer. A smirk spread across his lips as the blonde's color drained. Though no one was surprised that a Hyuuga would quietly scornful to a ninja that lacked a bloodline, there weren't many that carried that banner of bias openly.

"Neji!" Spinning to put her back to the abrasive Hyuuga, Tenten tried to get Naru to look at her, but the blonde's head hung slightly, hair slightly obscuring her eyes. Behind her, Tenten could hear Gai lecture Neji on his 'misdirected spirit' and 'unyouthful behavior', whatever the hell that meant. "Hey... Naru?"

Though she'd never be the one to admit it, Naru was remarkably fragile. She'd kept everyone at arm's length, or been held in such a way for so long, that it was hard to think anyone really considered her friend. It had been years since she put that insecure, scared, scarred boy to rest, but some things carried over.

_Fear_. Fear that if she let someone get close, it'd all go back to the way it was. That something would happen to undo all the wary stumbling progress she longed for so much. Fear that once she could call someone friend, they'd turn around, turn their back on her. Or stab her when she turned hers.

Fear wasn't logical, and though Naru tried harder to see things with more depth than the scared and desperate boy long ago, there were some weaknesses in her armor that were still wide. She'd never tell Tenten, but she was standing almost constantly with her hand on it.

The argument behind the weapons specialist went still as a wave of pressure snapped out from the girl Tenten was tentatively trying to get the attention of. To her credit, the brunette only winced, at least until the girl looked up.

Blazing red eyes, vertically slit and drawn tight so that almost no black at all could be seen glowered from under blonde bangs. Below those eyes, six arcing marks scratched across pale skin, bleeding slightly as they marched across her cheeks. Tenten drew back, the glare coming from her friend hitting like an almost physical blow.

It was enough. With a low growl that rattled across the clearing that Team Guy called their own, Naru launched herself into the tree-line. The silence that stretched out after was broken by the young Hyuuga, "Well, with the animal gone we ca-"

He was silenced by Tenten's fist spinning his smirking face into the dirt. "Shut _up_, you pompous twit!" She looked back at the trees, cursing her own hesitation earlier. Naru had a temper, this wasn't a secret to anyone, but this... she'd never seen her like this before. What _was_ that?

Still watching the trees while Gai went about collecting her teammate from where she'd left him, she sighed. "I just wanted you to be here, Naru," the muttered to the empty dawn.

"Could I have been more of a... _child_?"

_Whistle... thack._

She knew she overreacted.

_Sound of wood splintering, the low creak of the leather handle twisting in her sweaty hand, then another heavy impact._

Naru poured herself into the routine, spinning between a number of trees that were a good size to practice on. Most would equal or slightly exceed a human torso's width. They'd suffered badly for her use, and likely would be claimed for lumber the next season, but Naru didn't mind.

She was doing a pretty fair job of making the work of cutting them down unnecessary.

_She grunted, wrenching the blade free as she lunged toward the furthest tree, snapping out a feint to another before slamming the back of the zanbato's grip into the bark. It left a fist-wide crater that her hand would fit into. _

It wasn't that she had any real reason to be mad at Tenten. Hell, if she were honest, it was that Hyuuga kid – Neji if memory served – that started it all.

_Sliding into a hard thrust that buried the zanbato in a nearby trunk, she jumped up, using the embedded blade as a springboard._

Her issues with people of bloodline decent were well known. After all, she did tell that Uchiha kid that if he kept brooding near her, she'd go ahead and finish his brother's work that one day during class. That had resulted in a very long, very loud talk with Iruka...

_At the apex of her jump, easily within the cover of the dying canopy, she launched a hail of kunai and senbon, bitterly recalling that it was a blatant knock-off of Tenten's technique. A third of the sharpened edges struck true, while the rest would either have boxed in or struck a fleeing foe._

_Tenten_. She wasn't a bad person – she never even glared at Naruto – but it still hurt. Not anything she did, since Naru knew she didn't do anything. The idea that one day she _might_. It paralyzed her, scared her stiff and senseless.

_ Falling, she waited for the last moment before whipping out her hands to the grip and tucked hard around it. Velocity made her feet whistle as she snapped out a pair of kicks, bleeding off momentum. _

Naru knew what part of her issue was. At least she thought she knew. It would make sense, really. She wasn't mature, wasn't wise, wasn't secure. Naru was well acquainted with her shortcomings.

_ One hand spun the blade free of it's anchor, holding it vertical like a shield, the other hand flat on the opposite side, as if warding a heavy blow._

She was jealous.

_ With a strangled scream she shoved chakra into that hand, the blade jerking away and splitting the air around it's cross-wise path. Wind kicked up from the violent motion sent kunai from the ground again spinning off before her._

She was petty.

_A growl rumbled out of her slight form, as she exploded into motion. She followed those secondary missiles, beating some to their target. She held the blade like a wing before her, a hand behind the zanbato's blade, far down it's length._

She missed her friend.

_The impact drove the blade halfway through the tree, the girl behind it flipping up, just escaping the brief sounds of impact from the air-driven kunai below her._

Now that she was spending her time away, training with her team.

_Suspended a moment, she twisted and kicked back, striking the tree and rocketing back to earth, knee leading. The impact threw dust and debris up around her. _

She was alone.

_ Reaching up and behind her, Naru savagely wrenched down, the sound of the tree's trunk snapping as she fed the motion a staggering burst of chakra. She chambered the blade and glared across the small copse of trees, setting her eyes on the next target, as the tree behind her fell noisily to the underbrush._

Again.

A steady but aged hand pulled a blind draw, the light wood slats slipping down over the window. After they struck the bottom of the sill, a seal paper was applied to them. This process repeated, window to window.

Nodding under his wide hat, the Hokage stood by the door to his office, opening it to the waiting ANBU ninja standing there. "Uzuki. Come inside," the words jolted the masked ninja into action, causing them to move into an at-attention stance before the Hokage's desk. The Sandaime sighed, walking around to sit at his desk after affixing another seal to the door.

"Relax, Uzuki. You're not here to be disciplined."

Though there was a lessening in the tension from the violet-haired ninja, they nonetheless kept a rigid stance. "Sir?"

The Hokage let slip a very slight grin. "I hear you've been in contact with a particular young girl."

A slight tilt shifted the cat mask. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Do explain."

"I informed her that there were no masters of her weapon preference in Konoha," the ninja replied in a monotone, though there was a thread of amusement weaved through it.

"And?"

"I informed her in the unorthodox nature of her chosen weapon."

Nodding once, the old man settled back against his chair. "Very good, Uzuki. It take it the girl was not... grateful, for your wisdom?"

There was a long pause, as the ANBU meticulously organized a response. "I think the youth was very considerate, given her temperament and disposition, Hokage-sama."

Chuckling, the Sandaime Hokage swept off his hat, shaking his head. "I'll have to remember that one. So, do you think it a passing fascination, Uzuki?"

Again the cat mask tilted slightly. "I would address that question to a small, former branch of forested woods, Hokage-sama." Raising a brow, the old man motioned for her to continue. "If I may?" A hand motioned for the ever-present pale, empty crystal ball the Hokage kept.

Nodding, the man let the ANBU use the usual coordinate feeding mechanism to activate the orb.

The Hokage leaned forward, inspecting the scene in detail, using finer controls than the ANBU had to look around the small area.

Trees of a reasonable size were laying at odd angles, their canopies dead this season apparently from damage to the trunks. All along the lower reaches, up to around a Genin's height, were massive gashes, wedges of missing material, and impacts that indicated a rather striking display of violence. Most seemed to have been made in previous seasons, though there was more than enough evidence to indicate recent damage. More than one stump had the obvious sign of a trunk that had fallen due to weight and leverage, the uneven, spiked remnants jutting up dangerously.

Laying exhausted in the middle of the small explosion of violence lay a young girl, blonde hair splayed out in a cloud around her head. To her side and at easy grasp was the massive sword she'd become known for, the thing nearly as large as she was. "My my... what has you so disturbed, my child..."

"Sir?"

Looking up, the old man smiled and dismissed the image. "Young Kazami is a very emotional girl. After she appeared in Konoha, it took nearly two years for her to settle properly and start making friends."

A slight nod shifted the cat mask, "War orphans are often the hardest to adapt to new situations."

"Yes, indeed. That aside, since that time, she's been the model of a helpful, cheerful if somewhat wary girl. She has few friends, but they are precious to her." Eyes distant, the old man stared up at his ceiling for a handful of minutes. "Uzuki, I have a task for you."

The ANBU didn't answer, only nodded in anticipation of the man's words.

Closing one eye, the Hokage replaced his wide hat. "Find the Orikata girl. Observe her, if Kazami and she meet, be prepared to... arbitrate. I do not require a report on this.

"Additionally, I would like you to challenge the young girl. A demonstration. Non-lethal of course."

It was obvious in her stance that the ANBU ninja was confused, but she none the less nodded, bowing her acceptance of the mission. "I will begin immediately, Hokage-sama."

Turning on her heel, the ANBU reached for the door only for the man behind her to call out, "Uzuki. Does she show promise?"

There was a pause, before the violet-haired woman nodded once, sharply. "Exceptional, Hokage-sama."

A slow smile spread across the man's face. "Go."

The ninja was gone before the word finished echoing across the doorway.

Naru admitted that she was not the best at some things.

It had been a week since the utter mess that was the Team Guy incident. She'd not been to the diner Tenten frequented, not been to the forge unless Yasugi was with her, and by some stroke of chance had managed to avoid the brunette for the entire time.

She was finding that there was a cold kind of certainty, nesting in her stomach that said the longer she waited, the harder this would be.

All this lead up to her bounding across rooftops, stalking her best – she still hoped – friend as she made the slow journey back home after her training. Naru was careful not to stray too close to their training grounds, as another incident would probably permanently damage their friendship. She _knew_ there would be one, if she was within shouting distance of Neji.

So Naru stalked her.

Up ahead the bridge was looming, and despite it, she felt herself hesitating. Shoving her fear aside, the blonde flipped forward off the roof, landing to the right some distance from Tenten. To her credit, the older girl didn't start at her sudden appearance. "Oh. Hey Na... Kazami." Sighing, the brunette stopped by the end of the bridge.

Naru shuffled her feet as she moved to the opposite side, the two of them looking like disgruntled gatekeepers. Swallowing, Naru bit back the anxiety that was threatening to make her bolt, "Ten, I just wanted to say-"

"You know, I've been waiting," said girl interrupted, the impassive cast falling off her face in a blink. "A week, Naru! You know I'd not try to do anything to hurt you on purpose, so why?"

The blonde flinched, looking anywhere but at the other girl. "I..." And she realize there wasn't anything she could say, other than the base truth that would fix this. A truth that had barbs. "I was scared," she murmured, a helpless chill creeping over her at the admittance.

Tenten's anger evaporated almost as fast as it had appeared. "Scared? Naru?" The distance between them closed as the brunette invaded Naru's personal space, the blonde flinching back habitually when she reached out. Regardless the Tenten caught the skittish girl and held her still. "Hey, what do you mean?"

"It won't make sense," her voice was small, weak, and as broken as she felt at that moment. All she wanted was to see Ten, say she was sorry and everything go back to normal. Isn't that how it worked? But no, Tenten was mad at her, and that was worse. She knew that she might be, it made sense – but to be faced with it. "It just... won't. I'm sorry, Ten. I really am. I'm just-" her jaw snapped shut as the other girl pulled her close, wrapping her arms around the slighter girl's form.

No one, outside of the kitsune, had been allowed to do this. Had offered to do this, and there was a count of five while Naru's body stiffened in reflex, while she fought the urge to flee, to push away and run so this couldn't break her armor. No, she admitted to herself, I'm weak.

Her arms came up, as her breath hitched. "I'm weak," she muttered into the other girl's shoulder, as Tenten bunched her hands up in the other girl's jacket.

"No, you're not," the brunette murmured, between making small, comforting noises. "Not my Naru."

A sniffling laugh answered her, "Your Naru? Since when?"

"Since you're wiping your nose on my shirt," the older girl replied sagely.

The strained atmosphere lasted about a day, before they managed to devolve into their usual bonding and fun which typically consisted of a metric ton of edged metal.

"Gai said he'd teach me a sealing art so that I can keep my gear in a scroll," Tenten mentioned, while trying to breach Naru's guard.

Naru snapped the zanbato's flat toward Tenten, blunting another thrown kunai. "That would make you a real terror, y'know?" The blonde had started bringing her sword to their spars some time ago, which added a whole new level to the madness that some considered the two kunoichi to suffer from. Tenten's insistence on using thrown and ranged weapons was unusual in Konoha, but it was a skill that at least was _taught_. Naru on the other hand was a ready-made spectacle as she routinely used her zanbato in way that seemed frankly impossible for a youth her size. That at least blunted the usual muttering about bloodlines in regard to her sometimes freakish strength and stamina.

If it wasn't for the fact neither of them could be bothered to trudge back out to the training grounds, they'd not have to worry on it. As it was, the two training ninja had turned the large forge yard into a war zone. Far enough away to avoid being collateral damage, spectators of the passerby sort watched, as the two kunoichi in training exercised their skills.

Tenten was in rare form, having gotten more detailed training from Gai in various ways. Her aim was better, her close combat was actually stinging Naru when she connected, and she was faster than the last time they'd sparred. On the other hand, the girl defaulted to mid range, using her kunai and thrown weapons as a crutch.

Naru was thriving on the new challenge. She'd been stagnating, in her view, fighting trees and doing little more than strength training with her sword. Even just dodging Ten's hail of weapons was better than that.

The brunette used a spray of sand kicked up in Naru's direction to gain some distance, again launching a punishing rain of steel at the shorter blonde. Skidding to a halt, she blinked as Naru didn't bother to dodge, a tinge of worry that she'd overdone it creeping up on her.

Naru turned the broad blade sideways, then speed-stepped behind it, holding it at an angle as she ran. Kunai slammed into and skidded off the broad blade, as Naru used it like a boat's prow in water. Then the younger ninja had nearly taken Tenten's head off. Naru had used the sun's reflection on her zanbato to send glare at Ten's eyes, disorienting her for the few seconds it took to drop and bend the weapon's mass into a whistling arc.

Dropping low, the older girl waited for the blade to pass, then flipped backwards-

Only to get clipped as Naru halted the blade with a grunt and audible creak of bone and muscle, sending it up, flat first, into Tenten's unguarded leg.

The transfer of momentum shocked through the taller ninja's bones as she tumbled upward higher than her jump would have carried her. She heard a muffled curse below her just before she made a soft impact against... Naru?

"Oh, kami you're going on a diet," the blonde groused, groaning as Tenten shifted to roll off the girl. Her head still rattled from the zanbato's impact, all she could do was blink. "I didn't plan on clipping you, it was kind of a lark."

Tenten looked around at their personal battlefield, only then seeing the massive blade, planted point-first into the ground. "What happened?"

Naru rubbed at a shoulder, a pensive look on her face. "When I clipped you, it disrupted your jump. I was worried you'd land wrong."

"So you decided to play catch?"

Naru wrinkled her nose, chuckling. "Something like that."

It was then that Tenten noticed the spreading stain on the girl's side in muted horror. "N-Naru..." her hand raised just enough to get the other girl's attention, drawing it to her side.

The blonde's eyes unfocused for a moment, and Tenten could have sworn they shifted, going very, very briefly red. It was hard to say, because her vision had seemed to waver, as the reality that she'd _hurt_ Naru slammed into her. As she wavered, Naru winced and reached under her jacket. There was a wet sound, and the girl paled dramatically. "...oh ow."

Falling back, she breathed heavily for a few moments while Tenten tried to swallow her panic. She'd injured Naru countless times before, but it was always superficial. The kunai she used were dulled, and if anything they bruised more than cut. This was...

Naru let her hand relax, and Tenten blinked at what she saw. Half a kunai was there, split unevenly along it's length. Almost the entire shaft of black metal was slick with blood. "Not... your fault. Ten." The blonde murmured, breathing deeply with a wince. "Must have... cut it with the zan'." Her eyes closed as she lay, seemingly resting.

Tenten looked around frantically, only then seeing the other half of the weapon, yards back. There was a trace of blood in the skid mark that ended where Naru lay, and through her rising panic, she pieced together what could have happened.

Naru's defense and swing must have clipped and cut down a kunai, she figured. Half was deflected back, half forward. When she dove to catch her... the shard stabbed into her side.

It added up, but still didn't help the situation. Standing shakily, Tenten called out for her adopted brothers. They got a sling set up just as Naru snorted and woke with a muted yelp. "Wha-"

"Naru! Lay still, you're hurt!"

Blue eyes blinked back at her. "I am?"

Tenten boggled, then shook her head hard. "Your side! You..." She trailed off as Naru pulled open her jacket, exposing a spread of ruined shirt, caked with blood and dust. Lifting that, she prodded, then wiped clean a stretch of pink, angry but healed skin. "What...?"

Naru wiped the blood off her hand, staining her shirt more as she hesitantly watched her friend. "I'm ok, Ten. It was just a messy flesh wound. Little healing jutsu, and um... yeah," the lie, white as it was, still bothered her. "I could still use some time to recoup though."

The Orikata's focused on that, and helped the young girl into the house beside the forge. Tenten brought her some water, sitting beside the blonde as she wrapped a bandage around her side, more to make her hosts relax than out of need. The kitsune had slammed the wound with chakra as soon as she removed the fragment of kunai, and unlike her normal healing, it had been vastly, rather than just somewhat, accelerated.

The downside of course was that all her usual chakra funneling, to her muscles, bones and tissues, had greatly lessened leaving her feeling weak as a kitten. "Can someone get the zanbato out of the yard? I don't think I'll be able to lift it for a while."

Tenten blinked at her then turned away with a scowl. "Er. We can try."

"Huh?"

"You realize that thing is heavy? Like, really, _really_ heavy?"

Naru regarded her friend blankly a moment. "Ok. I know it's a bit hefty, I have issues with it now and then with new moves I try out but..."

The brunette shook her head slowly, a wry smile on her lips. "I'll send some of the boys out to get it inside."

Smiling her thanks, the blonde settled into the cushions she was on, the drain on her chakra, relief from the stress of worrying about her friendship with Tenten, and the fatigue of their sparring catching up with her. A lot of that was the loosing of a massive knot of anxiety about her friendship. Tenten, Naru realized, was a crucial part of what made her happy.

She was the first real friend that she had made after...

If she considered that, and the old smith, then...

Naru smiled, as she felt Tenten's hand curl around her own, as her eyes closed. She slipped into sleep with that same, content smile.

She had what she was looking for.

Tenten. _Friends._

Old man Yasugi. _Family._

Who needed a dream, when you were content with reality?

Some who practiced sedition did so by the old code of cloak and dagger. It was almost cliché to do such a thing in a ninja village of course – precisely what one would look for after all. Plots that couldn't rise and succeed because of deepest shadow sometimes had to be laid out in brightest light.

"It's a lovely day, isn't it Danzo-sama?"

Cursed seals were such a misnomer. True, they were called such because they imposed limits on the bearer, but that only offset the benefits. Such as openly spoken code. _'I have news you would enjoy,'_ his ears injected over the man's speech. The day promised to be looking up already.

The bandaged man turned very slightly, inclining his head a few degrees to his guest at the table he sat at. The restaurant chimed and murmured around them, the veranda the two sat on in the bright midday light. "Indeed it is. One would do well to watch the comings and goings of clouds on such a day," he said with some gravity. _'We are secure. Deliver your message in code.'_

"Such heavenly patterns are rarely repeated." His guest took up his own tea, silently respecting the gesture of the servant whom was little more than a shadow in the room. _'The chakra pattern has arisen again.'_

"Yet it occurs a handful of times," the older man demurred. _'The same from earlier this week?'_ Danzo received a nod in reply. "Only the sages know what such things mean," he said with a wry twist to his mouth. _'Have the scanners indicated why this pattern intrigues them?'_

There was a pause, while both men enjoyed their tea, "Sages speak of brief truths, of heaven and hell. Demons recent and past." _'They say it belongs to a dead child. Naruto Uzumaki.'_

Danzo's cup rattled in his hand against the tabletop. "Be wary of such words. They can be damning." _'Are they certain? Speak what you know.'_

"Sages would speak dogma. It is what it is, marching with the passage of time. Now, what I'd like to know, is what the sun is doing in that sky." _'The scanners have been checking over and over. The pattern is the same, only stronger, older. What is of great interest, is the movements of the Hokage recently.'_

"The sun eh? It and the clouds are of one path. Don't neglect those demons, enlightenment can be found in the strangest places." _'The Hokage. I can only guess he's involved in this. Find me Uzumaki, my plans for the brat haven't fallen to dust yet.' _

The man rose, bowing low, "I will, at your suggestion, think on enlightenment." 'By your leave, may the plan succeed.'

"Think on the sun. Come tomorrow, and share your insight." Danzo waved slightly, smiling in a benign way. 'Watch the Hokage. Report tomorrow anything you find.'

Danzo took a long draw of his tea. Ah yes, a properly set cursed seal are quite useful. "Waitress, my bill, if you please."

"Yes, Danzo-sama."

He turned his remaining eye to the blue sky above. "Quite a lovely day indeed."

"Student."

Naru started, spinning around and wincing as her shoulders ached at the sudden strain. She'd been halfway through a resistance routine and the ANBU's sudden appearance had thrown her concentration. Letting the zanbato fall to the ground, she regarded the masked figure impatiently, "What is it this time?"

The ANBU regarded her quietly a moment before rising from her crouched position. "You have improved."

"Practice does that. Speaking of..." Naru trailed off, motioning to her weapon with an overly-affected smile, "Should get back to it." She waited a moment for some kind of sign the masked figure had heard her, but when the ANBU ninja just... stood there, watching, she shrugged and took her zanbato back up. "Eh, whatever."

Though she often had someone observing her when practicing, either by Tenten or one of the Inuzuka's near their preferred practice grounds, never had she felt so... exposed. As if someone were analyzing her every move, twitch and pause. After her third unbalanced strike due to her lack of concentration, Naru set her blade into the ground, growled and turned to tell off the ANBU, only to find the figure gone.

Blinking in confusion, Naru had only the whistle of air over a blade as warning to her danger. With a strangled yelp she dodged low, wincing as an impact struck the grip of her sword far too close to where her hand remained.

Wide-eyed and panting, she stared up to where the ANBU remained poised, kodachi still and biting into the leather wrapping the zanbato's grip. "Why do you avoid an attack to leave yourself open for another?" Without another word the figure kicked out viciously, sending the smaller girl sprawling and rolling away from her weapon.

"What the hell!?" Sputtering and spitting out grass and dirt her _face_ had dug up from her impact, the blonde glared to where the ANBU was-

-and screamed, rolling desperately to the side to avoid being gutted like a fish. Looking back where she'd been, there was an eerie pattern of grass with their lengths cut low in a sweeping arc she almost felt bite through her stomach. Another whistle cause her to flail and dive to the ground again, stifling a frightened whimper.

A single, sharp, prick against the back of her neck nearly set her to weeping. "You dodge too predictably. If you always move the same way, an opponent will learn it, and exploit it."

Naru didn't bother to hide the waver in her voice, "Why are you doing this!?"

There was a heavy pause, before a pair of strong hands pulled her up to standing. They patted her down, brushed the dirt and grass off of her and then to her surprise, handed her a canteen. "Drink. Then we will talk."

Surprisingly, the water cleared her fear-fogged mind, the coldness shocking her slightly. The ANBU stood to the side, watching her recollect her wits. Naru glared, but it was halfhearted. "You didn't answer me," she reminded the silent figure.

The cat mask rose slightly from where it had been apparently inspecting the grass. "I was curious. I am now disappointed."

For all that the figure was a stranger, that simple comment stung deeply. "You snuck up on me!"

The figure took a step forward, and Naru automatically flinched back, "You are training to be a ninja, are you not?"

For the moment, all of Naru's doubt's and lack of conviction about her dream to be Hokage could have been a fairytale. "I'm not even a Genin! You're ANBU! What do you expect me to do?"

"If your will is so weak, lay down your sword now. Save your future team and Konoha the risk of your inevitable failure."

Naru's vision reddened at the edges, a host of memories breaking through her carefully crafted mask, "I'm not a failure!"

The ANBU's cat mask tilted slightly. "And yet, you are not a success."

Growling, the girl leapt at the lithe figure, slipping back into her taijutsu style. The two traded blows without another comment, the violet-haired ninja silent despite the few glancing blows Naru landed. She knew from experience that her hits were anything but light, but this ninja didn't even seem to react, driving her to wonder what the hell was going on.

On the other hand, nearly every strike, light or not, that the ANBU aimed at the blonde seemed to hit. Even with her stamina and chakra-hardened resilience, Naru was feeling the fatigue and pain of the increasingly punishing series of surgical of strikes. Despite her best efforts, the exchange was short. With a vicious kick that sent her tumbling again, the ANBU forced the two combatants apart. Gesturing behind the smaller girl, the masked figure spoke, "Take up your weapon."

In truth, Naru wanted to do nothing more. Snatching the zanbato out of the ground, she chambered the blade in a backhand stance then charged the waiting ninja.

With a strained yell, she halted her momentum, pivoting on a foot to bring all her motion and mass to bear along the blade's swing. So caught up in her intent to show that implacable mask she was worth something, Naru overlooked that she was using what could be a fatal attack against the other ninja.

The ANBU simply pulled up her light kodachi, deflecting the massive zanbato without so much as a sidewards glance. Naru's arms vibrated with the impact, as her blade fell down with a dull clang to the side, the seasoned ninja snapping forward to again prick her skin with the blade she held. "Never devote all your attention and energy to one, desperate attack. When it fails, you die."

Naru slid back, realigning the massive sword toward her foe. As soon as the blade came to bear, the other figure blurred into motion. The blonde had only a moment to try and track the figure as a stinging line was drawn along her forearm. She didn't have a chance to even shift the zanbato to bear.

Another line joined it, across her hip. Her head had turned at the flicker of motion, no more.

She shifted the blade on reaction to the last attack, opening herself for another, down her cheek.

Across her back, from shoulder to hip. Naru was focused in the other direction.

Panic was setting in, and she missed the ANBU entirely when they appeared right in front of her. Two nicks along the left side of each wrist told her so.

A vicious, aching jab just below her ribs. Just to emphasize the point.

A jarring impact against her temple with the back of the ANBU's blade.

Winded, smarting and bleeding from a dozen points on her body, Naru dropped her sword and fell to her knees, tears freely rolling down her cheeks. "Stop, please..."

The blur that was the ANBU ninja did so, crouched before the young girl. Cat mask regarded weeping youth for a long moment, before it was raised up, revealing a sharp, feminine face. "I don't want to hurt you. But you need to understand what it is you're getting into," a totally different voice reached her, warm and not at all what she'd expected. Despite it, Naru sniffled harder, even as her bleeding lessened.

"Wh-what do you m-mean," the youth punctuated her words with a whimper, reaching up to wipe at her eyes but moaning as her sleeve was already soaked in blood. A deft hand slipped up and did it for her, before she could flinch away.

Though serious, the ANBU woman's eyes were not cold, as she met those of the sniffling girl. "When you take up a sword, there's a kind of expectation people have of you. It says 'I am a master of this weapon' but it's a rather insidious trap," she explained quietly. Despite her closeness, she didn't try to close to touch the younger girl. "Most think of mastery as bending something to their will. For instance, you _use_ your zanbato? Yes?"

Naru nodded, noting the unusual emphasis on the word 'use'. Feeling silly and uncomfortable, she replied, "Yeah, I mean... how else would I, well... _use_ it?"

"Words can be very inferior in this case, Kazami," the woman replied in her somewhat quiet tone. "That mastery I speak of is dangerous. It separates you from your weapon. A sword," holding up her kodachi, the ANBU adjusted her grip slightly, causing the entire posture to look... wrong somehow. "A sword is not a simple tool. No weapon is, though it is the simplest method to teach one how to use such. A weapon, if one intends to be truly effective in it's use, must be an extension of you."

Naru had regained some of her composure, but the woman's very painful lesson still rang in her veins, and she would twitch faintly in memory of those bleeding reminders. Thinking on the woman's words though, she tried to put those pains aside. She had heard this kind of thing from Yasugi as well, when it came to forging. He apparently had some similar things to say about her use of hammers. "But... I don't understand. How can I make a weapon an extension of me?" She waved a hand at her ruined sleeves, shirt, and face, the girl snorted. "Something I'm doing is all wrong."

"No, because you are learning," the woman disagreed strongly, causing Naru's eyes to snap up to her. "You are doing marvelously, for what you were given. You just need to understand your weapon. Let it tell you how it's supposed to work, then blend that into your movements. I must admit though," the woman paused, eyeing Naru's chosen weapon with a critical eye. "That one will be... difficult. Particularly as a ninja weapon."

Nodding, Naru spared the woman a slight grin, "It's like me. Blatant, obvious, hard to overlook, and made of overkill."

The ANBU chuckled at that. "Perhaps it is so. Still, you need a proper teacher..."

Shadows played about the young girl's face. "I do. I know I can only go so far on my own, and without someone to teach me, I have no idea if I'm doing this right or not." Scoffing, she shook her head. "Correction, I have no idea how to fix what I'm doing wrong," she again looked to her ruined sleeves with a somber expression.

A content smile ghosted it's way across Yugao Uzuki's features. "I think something can be arranged."

"It's confirmed, the weapon is still in Konoha."

"Have you verified it directly?"

"No. The patterns are there, we simply need to align them and expose it."

"Still hiding... Keep it under surveillance. We're lucky the old man is so naïve, or we'd be showing our hand."

"Indeed. His faith is a keen tool. Too keen for his own safety."

"It is a tragedy, that a man who has forgotten how to be a ninja, yet leads them. Keep our agents informed. And, one last thing.

"Snakes are moving in the rice fields. Make sure they are content with the local fare."

"By your will."

"Yes it will be. Yes, it will be."

"Your Genin exam will consist of three tests, randomized..."

Naru tuned the instructor Iruka Morino out as she cast her mind forward to the night ahead. Old man Yasugi had been gone some time, but the letter she got let her know he'd be home that night. She'd spent the time he was away doing her tasks, practicing her craftsmanship where she could, practicing with the ANBU Uzuki, and generally being impatient.

"...end of this year. Now, today's lesson..."

Contrary to her typical demeanor, Naru inherited all of her previous life's quirks. It was a survival test that she repressed or diverted so much of them. She lived in a city of ninja – masters of masking, deception and seeing through illusions. Her enthusiasm and belief that just changing her look would be enough was brutally stamped out by the kitsune, who broke down all the reasons why it was stupid to think so.

"...explain one of the fundamental skills needed by a successful ninja..."

Which lead to a fairly vibrating Naru, emotional mask firmly in place, sitting through her Academy classes while tuning out just about every third word. She couldn't help being impatient here, and in consulting with the Kyuubi, decided that it was 'justifiable' reason.

The thing that was bothering Naru was that her mask, the persona she'd built up as a defense and refuge from the village, itched at the idea. There wasn't a very good way to think about it, frankly, but to do something so... out of character for her act felt just wrong. Forced even.

"...tight focus. Bunshin, the clone image skill, is a stepping stone..."

It helped to dull her aching lack of patience, thinking on the paradox that things that were natural to Naruto felt so uncomfortable to Naru. That discussion left the kitsune almost rolling on the floor in mirth, and a very disgruntled blonde deciding to let the odd spirit stew for a day or two.

Grasping for anything to distract her from the anxiety she was currently subject to, Naru let herself dwell on the kitsune a moment. That reminded her of two changes in herself, centered on the trapped spirit that she'd come to recognize.

One was a change that happened gradually, but now seemed so curious to her. Before that one day where she encounter with the Kyuubi, she'd had no one to confide in. No close person at all. Naruto had no real friends, no mentors, and the teachers at the Academy were at best indifferent, if not hostile. The one meeting with the Kyuubi changed that drastically, and in confiding in her, she showed a measure of trust in returning the favor.

"...also. Henge, transformation illusions, see their origins in the basic Bunshin..."

Over time, Naru had come to think of the kitsune as her most cherished person. Such a sentiment would likely be not only scoffed at, but likely get her killed if voiced, so she kept such notions locked down tight within. That didn't change the truth. The kitsune understood her, because in a way, she was her. When looked at from her point of view, it wasn't a huge leap of logic. They both shared a body, shared perceptions, shared thoughts.

Since their contact, she more and more often... _felt_ the Kyuubi. It was like a warm presence in the back of her mind, just under her thoughts. Like sunshine behind her, warming her hair. Not always of course... there were points when the kitsune's rage boiled up and that heat felt nauseating, toxic. Naru understood then what fueled the fear in Konoha, being faced with something that in just feeling an emotion could crush your will.

"...as you can see, the bulk of Genjutsu skills can trace their basic roots to mastering the Bunshin."

Then, there was Naru herself. That she used the kitsune as a model for her persona as Naru only made that connection between the two tighter. After a year, even the form she took within her mind had changed. Looking in the mirror some days, she imagined having golden eyes, and could easily believe herself the child of the kitsune, if only in form. Increasingly often she found herself comparing her own reactions and mannerisms to the nine-tailed spirit.

She would never think of the Kyuubi as a mother-figure though. There was simply something far too alien about her presence. It wasn't something that drove the young girl away, so much as reminded her that for all the kitsune's smiles and comforting words, she simply wasn't human. Naru knew there was something huge and simply deadly underneath the pale skin and clean smell. That she wore that form so easily just made it all the more intimidating, but also impressive. No, Naru didn't look at the kitsune as a mother, but she did see her as a perfect example of what she in essence was.

Someone playing at being something they were not.

"...come forward, and demonstrate the basic Bunshin please."

In part, that was also the second thing about the kitsune that was different. Before, in the three years she was working to build and refine her persona, those visits to the shrine seemed strained, akward. It was like forcing herself to study when it was a pretty day begging for her to do anything else. Then it became like a second homecoming. She'd drowse, and when her mind 'awoke' she wasted no time speeding to the shrine and the woman there.

Now she could feel it, dark and sheltering and welcoming in the back of her thoughts. It still contained the kitsune, but it also contained her. It was her refuge, because it was _safe_. The shrine belonged, was subject to, and was only for her and the kitsune.

She still had no idea about the field, but then again, it wasn't like she could stand the place.

Naru.

Who was Naru, really? Her thoughts wandered on this, idled about it like fireflies and a lantern. She was the face that a dead boy wore, so he could continue to see the world. Who was Naruto then? More and more she could only dig up dissociated fragments, abstract ideas. Hurt. Hated. Alone. They were distant now because she wasn't a part of them.

Naru.

The idea burst her thoughts apart like a soap bubble. No, she was more than just a mask. She, that fundamental ideal of self, was _becoming_ Naru. The fact that the person who had once been Naruto no longer thought of itself as male, or identified with that old life didn't surprise her. He... she had been six. Perhaps it was because she was so young, that the difference didn't seem to unsettle her. The kitsune had warned her, but then, Naruto had been brash and willful.

Naru-

-still was, but she tempered it. Slowed it down so she could watch, warily through this face the kitsune had crafted. It had to be that way, or the whole thing would fall down around her. That drive, initially to prank Konoha, had turned into an ongoing joke. Then a bitter kernel of humor, in knowing a secret the people who had hated her had no clue about. Now though... it was what it was. She had become the lie. Naruto had become an envelope, containing reasons and reactions and motivations, but had no _now_. He didn't exist. He _had_ existed.

Naru-

-was the now. Naru needed reasons, too. She needed something more than a hope for recognition, something she had now, and found less than fulfilling. Oh, it was good – that wasn't the issue – but it wasn't enough.

"Naru Kazami!"

Blue eyes snapped alert, darting up into the furious face of Chuunin instructor Iruka Morino. "Are you sleeping in my class again?" She noted with some mild worry he was mad enough to cause the scar across his face to almost glow a livid red. "We are going over the upcoming exam material. Do you even want to be a Genin?"

Though ninja villages were often extremely insular, Konoha had adapted to Naru the way an oyster adapts to a grain of sand. She was known to be loud, opinionated, strong and driven. Those things became less descriptions of her, as the whole of who she was in time, in the village's view.

Part of this was her fault, as the war orphan didn't make friends, and the few she had were close-mouthed or didn't know more about her.

Her Academy class was no exception. They had grown accustomed to Naru's temper, loud nature and sometimes random mood shifts, but there were always a few things that were dependable about the girl. One, she wasn't the most attentive student, though she made up for it in determination and energy. Two, challenging her set her off, and it was usually not a pretty display. Oh, entertaining some would say, like watching someone set off an exploding note in their hand, but not pretty.

The girl was driven, absolutely and totally, to excelling as a ninja despite her faults and shortcomings with chakra control. Anyone who questioned her goal usually did so at their own peril, or peace of mind in some instructor's cases. No one was out of bounds or safe. One man had ended up glued to the toilet for two solid days, a privacy note slapped on the stall to keep people from hearing him. He never questioned her again.

That was why the entire class was paying rapt attention to the scene unfolding before them, enough so even the most distant caught the girl's quiet answer.

"I..." Blinking in the face of her instructor's anger and question, all of Naru's doubts in herself and her touted dream of being Hokage came to the fore, "I don't know."

Iruka's eyes widened as the class reacted. Some, having been leaning in close or standing at the edge of their seats to hear and see the scolding the girl would get, lost their balance in surprise at her words. Clatters and muted swearing sounded around the classroom as people reacted, but the two in the center were beyond caring.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Though he was concerned with the sudden change in his student, the Academy had a strict code when it came to the loyalty and proper focus of their trained ninja. A weapon that was turned on it's wielder was a bad investment in time and effort, after all. "Naru, being a ninja is a serious decision-"

"I know, alright!" Eyes blazing, Naru slammed her palms on the desk in front of her, a totally alien expression on her face.

Something there tickled at a memory again, and Iruka, seeing it's direction shoved it away. "Hey, what brought this on? Last week you seemed to still want to be here." Seeing she wasn't willing to answer, the man put a hand on her shoulder in a gesture he hoped would calm the girl down. "Do you want to talk about it? After class we can go to that ramen stand, and-"

"No!" Jumping back, Naru fell, tangled in chairs and scrolls and her own clothes. That was a memory she couldn't deal with, not now! Not with him! Why couldn't they just let Naruto go!? Uncaring of the mess, tearing at her jacket to get loose, the girl jumped out of the second story window.

Iruka stood agape, utterly lost. Looking around at the equally stunned classroom, he heaved a sigh. "I thought she liked ramen."

"Go forward with the plan. See if the weapon breaks under the stress."

"You left Instructor Morino in quite the state," the Sandaime's voice was quiet, but carried that ever-present hint of authority. That hint was suggesting she look up at him and acknowledge the Hokage.

Naru refused, throwing another small rock off the mountain, bouncing it off the Nidaime monument's forehead.

With a muffled sigh and groan, the old man settled beside the youth. "Naruto-"

"No, just... Naru, now. Just Naru."

If he was disturbed by the youth's rudeness, the old man didn't show it. "Is that so? Have you decided to put aside all that he was?"

Naru laughed hollowly, "What is there worth holding on to? I mean, really. Naruto was hated by everyone but you, Teuchi and Ayame. People tried to kill me!" She growled at the slip, slamming her hand down on the rock monument with a dull thud. "I was a kid. All I wanted was someone to just... accept me.

"That's why I wanted to be Hokage, you know? I had this grand idea that if I was in your shoes, they'd have to love me," shaking her head, the blonde glared down at the cityscape below. "You know what? They aren't worth it."

To say the Sandaime was disheartened by her early words would be an understatement. To say he was frightened nearly out of his mind by the end would not be either. Uncharacteristically, all the aged shinobi could manage was a muted, "What?"

"Whoever it was that locked the Kyuubi in me already made me a sacrifice to these people. I have no intent to do it again, on my own this time. I'm not going to be Hokage for them."

"What... who has changed your mind?"

Naru looked up at him sharply, "Who? Oh, you're worried about the Kyuubi. Yeah, you'd think she'd want this too, huh? No. She's trying to talk me out of this. Funny, everyone has an agenda for me, but no one wants to let me in on it." The blonde's eyes narrowed, "Care to share yours?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi may have felt guilt for the wrongs the village did to Naruto, and the child that took his place, but he wasn't about to put up with outright insubordination from the youth. "That is quite enough." The girl, unphased, continued to stare at him. "I admit, there were many who wanted to use your status and unique condition for their own benefit. There were those that wanted you dead, and again there were those that thought you were an innocent in all this. I had no designs other than for you to have a proper childhood."

"In a village of ninja. Of course," sarcasm dripped from the girl's words.

The Hokage was fast reaching the end of his patience. "What choice did I have? I couldn't protect a civilian without exposing your nature. Where could I have sent you?"

She didn't miss the tightening of the man's face, the warning in his voice. "It's just... hard alright?" The girl looked at her hands, as if they held the answers she wanted. "I was doing everything for the wrong reasons. Now I have a family, and friends, and for once I belong." Looking up at the aged man, she sighed, "So why should I hold on to that person?"

Sarutobi didn't know if he was more disappointed in himself or the people of Konoha for turning the Yondaime's sacrifice against everything he'd hoped for. Not only that, but there was the lingering worry that at the root of it all, the Kyuubi was working some insidious plan as well. That recalled something offhand the girl had said, "You said that the Demon Fox was against this? What part, in particular if I may ask."

"Letting go of being a ninja."

The Hokage considered this quietly. "I can't imagine having thought this day would come, but I find myself agreeing with the Kyuubi."

Naru laughed again, mirthlessly. "I bet. So, tell me why you want me to go on with it."

"I had... hoped one day you would realize your ambition. Though gaining Konoha's love by leading them may be somewhat backwards, I had hoped in time you would find something worth protecting, worth your efforts here.

"I love this village, despite it's shortcomings. All the pain it bears, all the memories of loss and failures... despite it all I love it," the old man went on, eyes distant. "Each of the Hokage's has shared that, more than any other feature. It isn't blood, or power, or desire that leads to the Kage of Konoha, but love."

A small shoe kicked a spray of pebbles off the monument. "It's hard to love people that never earn it."

"You never gave them a chance to," the old man replied quietly. "You don't see it, but to you Konoha has always been this way, but it wasn't always so.

"Its spirit is broken, you see. Before the Demon Fox, Konoha was a different place entirely," the man continued sadly, eyes looking out distantly through years rather than space. "The village lost nearly a third of it's fighting force in one afternoon to the Kyuubi. So many lives and families were touched by that single event. After, to have something tangible, something that they could associate with that pain, it was easy to fall into a pattern of foolish anger.

"Konoha is a prideful place. It's been content in it's power among the Element nations for so long, that such a crushing defeat was almost inconceivable. The Fourth... his skill single-handedly delivered Konoha from the Earth Country's ambitions. Our bloodlines almost guarantee us the edge in any conflict. We had enjoyed years of peace and the knowledge that we were capable, powerful and prepared. Then, the Kyuubi came and laughed at us. Sneered at our skills, ignored our pride. Not only that, but the Kyuubi itself had such a powerful aura of terror... half the ninja of the village couldn't even lift a hand to defend themselves. There is no worse thing for a shinobi than to feel utterly powerless before a foe."

Having never heard this much about the Kyuubi's attack, Naru was rapt with attention. It unsettled her that she was so close to such a force, and despite herself, she started to feel something akin to guilt. She was after all, the thing keeping the Kyuubi's memory alive and well in the very place it had nearly destroyed. Was. Naruto was dead, after all. "I understand, but still..."

Sarutobi, took off his hat, staring at the symbol emblazoned on it quietly. "Will you do an old man one favor? Not as Hokage, but as... as you used to call me?" A slight, sad smile came over the man. "Gramps. Do this one thing, and I will ask nothing of you in this way again, Naru." Though his voice was quiet, there was a depth of sadness there that she had never really heard in the man before. It made her own bitterness seem petty and small.

Swallowing with the gravity of the Hokage's tone, Naru nodded faintly.

"I am not alone in thinking you have a great future as someone precious to Konoha. Iruka came to me, hoping that I could turn you back to Academy." Sarutobi eyed the girl, smiling very slightly. "This man who doesn't know who you truly are, thinks that Naru Kazami is worth it. He is a stern teacher, but has a good sense of his student's capabilities." Chuckling, the old man shook his head, "He threatened to ransack the archives and forge you a bloodline to convince the Council to accept any terms to have you back."

Naru blinked at that, blushing. "He'd do that..."

"He would try," the Hokage replied archly. "Succeed? Let us call it an exercise of his belief in you.

"Yugao Uzuki of the ANBU has requested to be your intermediate instructor in using your zanbato," he added to which the girl gave a guilty nod, confirming his suspicions that she hadn't given the arrangement thought in her decision. "She sees great potential in you. Though she doesn't claim to be a master in her own right, she is very proficient, and has a keen eye." Reaching out, he ruffled the girl's hair. "She would be remiss in losing you so soon.

"And, of course, lets not forget your friend Tenten Orikata," Sarutobi reminded the girl, causing her rosy blush to pale almost immediately. "You understand that a ninja cannot disclose or train civilians? Your practices together would have to stop. Not only that, but there are limits on what the village will allow non-combatants to posses."

"My zanbato."

"...would be confiscated, I'm sorry to say. I had no idea it was so precious to you."

Naru shook her head slowly. "It's... not. Really. It just... you know how something feels right? Comfortable, despite how strange or unusual? It's like that. I look at that thing, and I see me, not some huge hunk of metal with an edge like everyone else does."

Thinking on his summon and sometimes weapon Enma, the Hokage nodded. "I do understand. I would rather burn my hat than make you part with something important to you," Patting the young girl on the shoulder, the man was privy to one of her brilliant smiles. It gave him some hope for the future.

"Give them a chance. See it out at least to your Chuunin exam, to get an opportunity to see what being an active Ninja of the Leaf means. Give Konoha a chance to let you love her. Will you do this for me?"

Kicking her feet back and forth, Naru grinned up at him in all her foxlike charm, "Nah, not for you," she quipped, causing the old man to falter for a moment in confusion. "I'll do it for Konoha, though. You can save the favor for when I'm Hokage. Then I'll take you out for ramen for once!"

Sarutobi laughed, his relief and humor drifting on the winds down to the city. Naru had forgotten how much she enjoyed that sound, and promised herself she'd do more to make sure it continued.

After all, she'd gotten a second chance thanks to the kitsune. It would only be fair to give Kohona one as well.

"Oh."

The ANBU ninja nodded once curtly, turning to simply disappear.

Naru stared at the letter in mute incomprehension. Yasugi was delayed, but the ANBU would be delivering his affect shortly, the letter stated in the slanting hand of the Hokage.

Something wasn't right, and it settled in the young girl's stomach like a lead weight.

Looking out at the fading light, she let her eyes trace the distant horizon. A faint shiver stole up her arms, and Naru closed the door, leaning on it once the bolts were driven home. "Be safe, old man. Come home soon."

"Come sit with me a moment," Yugao's voice broke through Naru's concentration, as she worked with her zanbato not too far away.

Honestly glad to take a breather, the girl trotted over and slumped down, letting the heavy greatsword fall with a thump. She pointed ignored Yugao's slight frown at the action. Naru had sat and suffered through a number of the older woman's attempts to educate her on being one with her weapon.

Naru just didn't think that Yugao understood that she actually was much closer to that idea than the ninja realized. Having caught her breath, she noted the violet-haired woman watching her intently. "What's up?"

"I think it's time you began training with a more precise weapon," the woman answered in her usual blunt manner. The ANBU held up a hand to forestall Naru's bristling response. "Hear me out.

"It's no secret to those close to you, that your strength is also a weakness," the woman continued. Naru winced, refusing to let that broad, potentially deadly statement become anything more than it was. "The zanbato complements your strength, but your precision suffers because of it."

Blonde hair bobbed slightly as Naru hesitantly agreed. This was a variation on the same conversation she'd had with Yasugi before. Thoughts of the smith hammered and battered at the control Naru had on her emotions, worry and anxiety rising up as she considered the man's long absence. With a mental shift of attention that stung her quite a bit, she focused on the woman before her. "I'm not sure how to work on precision."

Yugao favored her with a small grin. "Luckily I do. We may need to recruit some help, though."

When the ANBU stood and motioned for her to follow, she should have listened to the small nagging voice that said 'stop and don't move!' but instead she obediently shadowed. When they passed the bridge where she and Tenten had made amends, it railed again, but she silenced it. It was no surprise then, when they reached training ground twenty-three. She should have known, really. Still, there were some things Naru was not ready for. "I can't go in there," she murmured, stopping well outside of the training zone that Team Gai used as their own.

Pulling up short, Yugao's brow furrowed. "Why not?"

"Neji Hyuuga," the girl answered, with what she considered an appropriate amount of spite tinging her words.

The confusion on Yugao's face was short lived. "Ah, I see you are already making... friends... in high places." Rather than exacerbate the issue, Naru remained silent. "Very well then, this time only I will indulge in your childishness."

It was reprimand enough she felt, glancing behind her and seeing a forlorn but determined Naru. Putting aside her small happiness in education, she focused on the task at hand.

Surviving a meeting with Gai and leaving with her sanity intact.

To her credit, Naru took the time standing near the training ground to work on the small, seemingly useless control exercises that the Academy taught. Most dealt with visualizing and then projecting chakra in small amounts, noticeable by a slight numbing or tingling in the fingers. Usually the exercise was practiced with the hands, as handseals were a critical portion of training as well.

She swore colorfully as her arm, from shoulder down, went numb again. "Damnit, what is with that..."

Naru had tried to get the Kyuubi's input on the problem, but the kitsune had little advice to give. Their limited sharing of perceptions and thoughts didn't allow her to perceive, much less do anything active with the jinchuriki's body. The seals were a prison after all, not a forced marriage.

Even her rather inefficient, if useful, buffer to mask her chakra was something she came up with herself. It seemed a better option that being a fully identical student, performance and statistically, to Naruto. Such things she knew would be dangerous to maintaining her lie.

She let her musing end as the ANBU seemed to simply appear before her in a burst of displaced air. "She will join us after evening meal. Meet with us then, at training ground twelve." Without another word, the woman disappeared again.

Naru didn't worry on the woman's behavior, considering her own limited experience with Team Gai. For all she knew, Neji could have insulted her too. Then there was the twin terrors of Gai himself and his clo- prodigy.

Not sure what else to do with herself, Naru spent the balance of her afternoon, chatting idly with the Kyuubi about her chakra problem, feeling out possible solutions and just talking. Sometimes she found answers by simply explaining things. Today wasn't one of those days.

Afternoon rolled by, and she found herself first to the training ground, wondering if she was too early. Settling by a large tree, she leaned the zanbato against it as well, closing her eyes and relaxing slightly, drifting.

"Hey, Naru," Blinking back to full awareness, the blonde looked up at Tenten as she leaned by her shoulder. "So you're the one working with that ANBU?"

Naru nodded slightly, stretching her arms and working the stiffness from her back. "Precision practice," the girl mumbled simply, the words coaxing a smile from her longtime friend. Naru's more caustic, cynical side was having a lot of fun mocking her for overlooking the obvious in Tenten, which she felt wasn't undeserved. It just never occurred to the blonde girl to have Tenten of all people teach her, it was just how they were. They worked with one another, training, working, living.

The more she thought about it, the more foolish she felt. Of anyone close to her, the quirky weapon's mistress was the most controlled and focused person she knew. At least when it came to things with points or edges.

"I think Yasugi's going to be bringing back a new manual on a pattern weld from Snow," Naru offered, as the two settled into old habits of chatting while waiting. It happened often enough, with both their guardians being smiths and teachers of their trade.

Tenten perked up, eyes glittering, "What kind of grain do you think? Will it be a long-blade type or short?"  
Humming in thought, Naru considered the season and timing. "I think short. It's only a few months till summer, when graduation for the next term is due and teams are assigned," she explained. "A short-grain would be good to trade to Orikata for kunai and smaller weapons, so my old man can forgo the next harvest billet."

"Oh that's a good plan," Tenten concurred, nose wrinkling cutely at the thought of another _tamahagane_ harvest. "You think it'll be worth it to skip sending you to the smelting?"  
Naru snorted. "Hell no. I'd be there anyway, I love it." Tenten blinked at her in frank disbelief. "What? I don't mind the heat, and it's something I can do well. Control I may not have, but I can rake, layer, and pour the sand and charcoal better than your brothers combined."

"How do you get the stink out of your hair though?"

Pulling one of her bound ponytails forward, Naru sniffed it in thought. "Oh. Citrus oil. It cuts damn near anything, and it keeps the bronzing up in my hair."

The older girl pulled the ponytail out of the blonde's hands and sniffed it lightly. "Oh. Oh wow. I don't want blonde highlights though..."

Naru hummed in thought. "I'll think of something, but maybe – oh! I know, we'll mix it up with that henna sand I got for a trade last month. That'll end up being auburn rather than blonde on you."

Tenten practically purred at the thought. "That'll be great," pausing, she blinked up at the blonde. "Why do you have henna sand? I mean it's a nice color, though I doubt anyone will notice," she concluded with a tinge of bitterness.

Blinking owlishly, Naru leaned her forehead against the older girl's, feeling to see if the weapon's mistress had a fever. "Feels normal, have you been lacking sleep or had any sharp head trauma-"

"Oh quiet you!" Shoving Naru over, the brunette huffed, blushing slightly. "Just because I want to look nice doesn't mean I want to look nice _for_ someone."

Naru's smile was positively vulpine. "Suuure. And I have it in case I want to be a redhead. So tell me, Ten, how's the team dynamic? Gotten your youthful fire stoked yet?"

"Naru!" The brunette faltered. "Redhead?"

"What?"

"Nevermind," Tenten reminded herself that occasionally, Naru's 'logic' was something best left to the temples to make cute, infuriating poems about. "But seriously, the team's doing ok. I think we're finally settling down into a good working unit."

Naru snickered, finally falling over and laughing outright, commenting about Tenten and 'working units'. This did not go unpunished, but the brunette knew just how to pull her punches – or stabbings – with the blonde.

Yugao joined them shortly, and the smalltalk about team dynamic, a new pattern-welding methods, and bath soap ended, with both youths turning to greet a somewhat befuddled ANBU ninja. "...you two disturb me. Greatly."

A pair of blank looks were their only response.

"Moving on..." Yugao motioned them over the usual training dummies, little more than logs with targets skinned out from bare trunk. "Naru, your control over the zanbato is good, but you need to be better. It isn't a ninja's tool, rather a combat-specialist weapon," the woman explained, while pulling out a kunai. "Let me explain the difference between a tool and a weapon.

"A kunai is small enough to conceal, and does not give away your proficiencies," she stated flatly, idly spinning the blade in her hand. "It is small and precise enough for stealth assassinations in crowded areas. It can be used by a trained hand in field medicine. Thrown, it can be deadly. Reinforced with chakra, as you've seen Naru, it can block even your zanbato."

"A tool has more uses," Naru replied in answer. Tenten kept silent, knowing that the point of the ANBU's lesson was to reach her friend, not fish for who had the knowledge already.

Yugao nodded, resheathing the kunai. "Now, anything can be a tool. Rocks, sticks, teacups, seeds. A zanbato can be as well, but with it's design, there are few delicate applications. We'll worry on that later. Today, we'll be focusing on close range combat using kunai, and thrown accuracy. I'll be working with you both during melee, and Tenten will be helping with your thrown practice.

"Tenten, if you'll start unsealing kunai and running some wire, we'll do this in a more efficient manner. Naru, come with me."

The two youth's separated, the younger blonde following the ANBU to the side some distance. She paused when the woman handed her a small, curved, sheathed blade. "A wakazashi? Why not a kodachi?"

"Reasonable question," the woman replied, securing her own wakazashi as well. "Power is good, when you can connect attacks. You remember our first lesson?" With a shiver, the blonde nodded faintly. "Power means nothing without control guiding it."

Naru's mouth twisted into a bitter scowl. "I... right." She shook her head, dismissing Yugao's unasked question. "Nothing. Go on."

The ANBU regarded the youth levelly. "I cannot train you for chakra control," the blonde jerked, but didn't look up from her fixed gaze on the ground. "I learned the basic Academy exercises, then the more intensive ANBU stealth ones. I'm afraid your initial problems would only compound if you jumped so far ahead."

"The ANBU ones," Naru asked quietly, seeing the frown that her expected request earned her. "Is it a control worry or capacity worry?"

Yugao considered the girl's question a moment, wondering what she was getting at. "Capacity. Regardless, chakra isn't why I'm teaching you."

Slightly panicky that such an opportunity would pass by, Naru snapped her head up, eyes wide. "Wait! Wait let me explain. The reason why I'm so strong is that I'm..." she bit her lip, seeing now the trap she'd stepped into. Naru had to explain why she channeled so much chakra into her muscles, which would obviously end up leading back to conversations about it's source. Shaking her head slightly, the girl pressed on, "I force all my chakra into my body, reinforcing it."

The ANBU tilted her head, considering that a moment. "It makes sense. But... surely you don't mean..." Yugao's mind scanned back, realizing that Naru never seemed fatigued from using her weapon. Or carrying it constantly. Yugao would be hard pressed to manage it for a small battle, unable to keep her chakra levels up to that which the girl was claiming. "Alright. I'll believe you, on a condition," she took a sparring pose, braced with a hand before her. She aligned the bones of her arm with her palm, angling it to absorb the impact she was expecting. "Strike my hand."

Shrugging nervously, Naru quickly fell into a taijutsu stance common in Konoha and did so, the usual effect easily occurring.

Yugao had sparred with Naru in the past, and knew of her unreal strength. In truth she thought that the girl's hatred of bloodlines and that were a clear sign of a Mist or abductee history. After all, the Hyuuga nearly had their heiress stolen by the Cloud nation. Such a passive bloodline as Naru may have would be an amazing asset. She also had assumed the girl's bad chakra control was part and parcel to it, but with this new information... She focused her senses on her hand, and as Naru struck, she easily felt the difference.

It seemed so silly, looking back. The girl had a wiry, light frame that almost seemed waifish. Rather than weak or average, she was unrealistically strong, had amazing stamina, and could shrug off focused taijutsu strikes someone her age, build, and ability had no chance of weathering. Yugao nodded, after noting the heavily chakra-laden residue of the impact. It was as the girl said.

"Drop the exercise, strike again."

This time the blow was on the opposite scale, resembling how she would see Naru taking strikes from others. However what startled Yugao more was the feeling of density around the young girl. It was a nearly palatable sense of restrained energy and force, as if she were holding back on releasing a high-level jutsu. It made the hairs on Yugao's neck stand, as if there was a charge in the air before a storm.

She was pulled from her musing as Naru made a small, uncomfortable noise. "Naru? Is your hand alright?"

The girl looked to her, a flush over her skin as she pinched her face in what was obviously pain. "Yeah... uhn. Can I start the exercise again? It's uncomfortable," Yugao didn't miss the idle motion, the blonde's hand lightly scratching at her stomach as she spoke. Nor did she miss the small, nearly hair-line marks scratching their way across the girl's cheeks, leaving tiny beads of crimson after.

Yugao's face went blank, but she nodded. Her impassive gaze saw those marks, and even the traces of blood fade as quickly as the pressure that seemed to emanate from the girl. She stifled her responses, turning instead with razor-focus on the task she'd set out for. "Alright. I'll consider this and come to a decision later," what this was and what the decision pertained to, she did not say. "For now, to keep our weapons from shattering, I want you to focus on lessening the chakra in your arms."

Naru's brow furrowed, and shortly she yelped and ran her hands over her shoulders, cursing. "Numb," she mumbled, irritated.

"Picture it as if you are casting a shadow. Invert it, see it as wholly white," the woman explained. "This is how you are, with your exercise active. Full of chakra." The blonde nodded her understanding, so Yugao went on, "Dim, but do not push your arms to black. Focus on gray. Make it gradual. Let it fade back to white at your center." Nodding again, Naru concentrated, wincing slightly once or twice till she seemed to settle, flexing her fingers.

The pressure around her was slight, showing that rather than focus her chakra more inwards, she was simply not pushing it fully through her body. Yugao figured it was good enough, and that they had wasted enough time on accessory methods. "This is not the control technique, but simply a more elegant version of what you are already doing. Now, we will work on our original task," she concluded frostily, seeing Naru pale in understanding.

Yugao hid a grin. The girl's focus was already improving.

The ANBU trained with the youth for some time, removing the broader flaws from her stance and motion. She understood why Naru would like the weapon, and her method of using it – after all, not many could idly flail about with a sword its size. Despite that, it was terribly wasteful in motion and potential, and to drive the point home, she started showing the girl how much easier it was to score hits and work with a smaller weapon. More than once she used the small size and easy concealment of body and arm to sneak the wakazashi into Naru's guard to prove it's versatility.

All this seemed superfluous to Yugao, but there were two words that the Sandaime had told her, that were key to teaching the young woman. "Impress her". It seemed silly before, but once the fire lit in Naru's eyes, she saw the reason.

She could have done without the constant mutterings of 'cool!' or 'show me that again!' every three seconds... but progress was progress.

Naru complained when she ended their practical lesson, taking them back to meet with a somewhat bored Tenten. "Tomorrow you will work with each other, and I'll mediate and instruct," she informed them, and was happy to see the brunette's irritation fading. "For now, I want you to show Naru how to properly throw a kunai."

"But I know how-"  
The ANBU silenced her with a glare. "Properly."

Blue eyes blinked once before wincing. "Sorry, Uzuki-sensei."

Yugao didn't say anything else, but did nod to Tenten, to begin.

Standing back and observing, it was clear that the girl had very bad foundation work on her basic methods, which matched the time frames around her past. What bothered Yugao was that there seemed to be a discontinuity in her training. Like she'd had very bad teachers but then very good ones, but didn't know the difference.

It didn't make sense. She should be building off her previous teachings, then add on the new instructor's methods. The ANBU started piecing the puzzle together, removing parts to expose the pattern, adding new ones to see if traits could be assigned to explain things, and extrapolating data to suit the results. She wasn't the analyst Ibiki was, but he was a specialist, while she was a full Jounin with more broad-field experience.

The only real explanation that Yugao could think of for Naru's behavior was if she had received bad instruction from the same teachers, then those same teachers suddenly improved on their methods. That would explain her maintaining old habits, while trying to jigsaw in the new. The trust issue behind it and the constant contact with those instructors would almost insure she didn't question them. A student taking on new teachers was forced to adjust to new methods and make changes. A long term teacher's methods built on each other.

Yugao's problem with this hypothesis was that Naru wasn't a part of Konoha, when the basic teachings she seemed to have flawed versions of were taught.

That in mind, Yugao sat and dropped herself into a meditative trance. Standard ANBU field training, these allowed agents lacking command structure to analyze data and come to a proper chain of action, to fulfill a goal. Considering ANBU's missions were critical, it was a well-founded practice.

_ Goal – determine the cause of Naru Kazami's faulted education..._

Information spread around her mindscape like a seal, connecting threads and leading to others, all spiraling down to a tile with the name "Naru" on it, with a stylized zanbato beneath. A fragment of Yugao's mind found that amusing, as apparently even the idea of the weapon had become iconic with her name.

Her subconscious on the other hand, was busy at work.

_ Lack of proper instruction, but instruction given._

_ Learning fault – incompatible. More difficult topics learned, shows no sign of a learning disability._

_ Teacher fault – possible. Incongruous systems of teaching result in gaps or lacks in sequential concepts._

_ Material ladder present. The progression of material learned from foundation to present indicates a single academic path._

_ Incongruous time issue. Naru was not present in Konoha to receive fundamental training._

_ Incongruous familiarity. Naru was aware of the Academy's expectations, and adjusted her learning to best compensate. _(Yugao paused but conceded this point. The evidence from what she was shown by the Hokage, something she had passed over, indicated the girl took to the Konoha Academy as if she was aware of it.)

_Possible sleeper agent?_ (Again she paused. Her mind seemed ready to start tossing out possible answers, and that this lead them at least relieved her a bit. Easiest to dismiss first, hardest last.) _No, pressed into a high-stress situation, her personality didn't drastically shift. She is a child, yet has secrets. _(Huh? Pausing, she forced her mind to address this.)

_There is no record of an internal or external Kazami family line – one may exist but there is no data currently._ (Useless, she decided. Not enough information was available.)

_The only other recorded instance of Naru's level of strength is the Sannin Tsunade. The chakra levels needed to constantly upkeep it are easily on the level of a veteran Jounin._ (Could... Tsunade have had a child?!)

_There is no known medical reason for a child to have that kind of chakra reserve outside of extraordinary means._ (Yugao paused again, focusing on that. Something she had heard obviously indicated there was such a means.)

_Inconclusive material states some seals can allow for enhanced chakra pools. Those seals by necessity must contain either a link to or a very large chakra source._ (She pushed for an example.)

_The curse seal on the special Jounin Anko Mitarashi. The seal containing the Kyuubi on the deceased Naruto Uzumaki. _(Jinchuriki? She of course knew of the Demon Vessel. Yugao wracked her brain but knew nothing more on that topic. She knew of the Uzumaki child, but nothing about Jinchuriki in particular. It simply wasn't something that was common knowledge, or something she as an ANBU had stumbled over.)

Yugao relaxed, realizing she was pushing her mind into disorder, rather than let it come to it's conclusions.

_Possible amnesiac. Records and observations would indicate Naru had prior knowledge of Konoha before arriving._ (Yugao started, realizing she had been on the detail to observe the girl during her 'naturalization'. Flashes of that memory caused her mental calculation to halt and restart.)

_ The identity of Naru Kazami is false, allowing a previous student to achieve better marks._

That... it explained the problems with Naru's skill set, but why would someone go to all that trouble, just for Academy marks? Yugao didn't need the trance to answer that, and pulled herself awake with a start. Not far away, the two girls blinked and watched her in confusion as she stiffly stood and looked at them strangely. Naru looked back down the range and completed her throw, embedding the kunai solidly into the upper target, symbolizing a head. The violet-haired ninja couldn't help herself, her hand twitched and clenched.

Eyes narrowing, the ANBU forced her emotions and reactions down, pushing them deep. "Ok. Today's lessons are complete. I expect you to return tomorrow, at the appointed time. Tenten, you may charge any materials used in these lessons to the ANBU training fund," without further words, the woman formed a seal and was gone with a rush of air.

Naru blinked to her friend, who shrugged, pulling subtly at the wires connected to the kunai she'd prepared, causing them all to return in a pile before her. "She seemed upset."

Nodding at Tenten's words, the blonde nibbled on her lip nervously. "Do you think I was doing badly?"

"No! You've improved," Tenten worked to organize the wire and steel mess, smiling up at the younger girl. "Maybe she forgot something."

Making a dismissive sound, Naru shook her head. "Uzuki-sensei isn't like that. Well, she more or less agreed to meet us here again tomorrow. Can't be that bad, I guess."

"Want to get some ramen after we clean up?"  
"You need to ask?"

"Uziki What do I owe-"

"Hokage-sama, who is Naru Kazami?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi blinked once, face inscrutable as he regarded the woman he'd sent to help guide the mentioned young girl. With a set of hasty and familiar handseals, the man enclosed the room in privacy. After another moment of gathering himself, he turned to the woman and she blanched under the force of his stare. "ANBU Uzuki. I assume I do not have to remind you of your place."

The violet-haired woman stiffened, before falling into a deep bow. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, I just thought-"

"No, you didn't," the man interrupted, unmoving from his position. "You assume to have more information on a topic that you just recently stumbled on than those who have dealt with it for years. Have you shared your fears with anyone else?"

The man's words sent a chill up her spine. Of course he knew, he was the Sandaime. "No, Hokage-sama."

"Have you confronted the girl about this?"

"No, Hokage-sama," Yugao flinched, the older man's gaze falling on her like a great stone weight.

"Do you plan to approach her in regard to this?"

She paused for a heavy moment. "I do not know yet, Hokage-sama."

"What do you plan to do, in regard to your current arrangement with Naru Kazami, with your questions in mind?"

The ANBU sighed, "I am unsure, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi relented, lessening the pressure he was exerting through will. "Have a seat, Uzuki. This won't take long."

Though the meaning of his words could have been reassuring, the tone was still arctic and caused the woman to shiver unconsciously. Regardless she found a seat, turning to face forward impassively. She was a Leaf Jounin, her loyalty was imperturbable. She asked her questions for the defense of Konoha, not to question the Hokage.

"What you know about Naru Kazami is truth. A truth that she herself has made real, by force of will, cunning and allowance." Yugao started at that, and made to protest but fell silent at the Hokage's hand, held up to forestall her words. "She came as an abandoned orphan. She was. She came as the last in her clan. She was. She came to become a ninja, and continues on that path, though there have been... bumps along the way."

Looking down at her hands, the woman's mask of impassive apathy cracked slightly, "But... why? Why make such an elaborate lie? She couldn't have done so just to attend the Academy. What reason could push a child to recreate themselves?"

"What indeed," the man commiserated. "I think you know the answer, if not the full question." Waiting a moment for the woman to meet his mental position, he nodded when her eyes widened slightly. "Yes. This was better than the life the girl had before. So, that in mind, and knowing her goals and her abilities, do you still endeavor to undo all she's worked for? To return her to the pain she undoubtedly left behind?"

Shaking her head slowly, the ANBU regarded the Hokage in mild confusion. "No. I never meant to do that, Hokage-sama. I was... worried. About Konoha. She has a lot of potential, and it scares me sometimes."

The old man behind the desk nodded sadly. "That potential is precisely why I allowed this to happen. Will you be content to know this was the right thing for her to do, and leave it alone, Uzuki? Or will you persist in pressing the issue?"  
Long minutes stretched out, as the woman sat statuesque in thought. "As... her teacher I need to know a number of things. What drives her, in truth. What her capabilities are, and what she hides and masks. What her goals are. Some of these things will not be truths if I ask her. I need to know because otherwise-"

"You cannot truly teach, when the pupil is an illusion," sighing heavily, the old man nodded, remembering his own failure in this respect. "I do understand this. I find myself in a curious position." Regarding the woman critically, if kindly, the aged shinobi inclined his hat slightly. "The truth you're looking for is much like her zanbato, Uzuki. It's heavy. Very, very heavy, and it comes at a steep price."

Though the man's tone seemed warning, Yugao clearly saw the invitation and the test there. If she intended on remaining the girl's teacher at this point, she would have to accept the secret and it's consequences.

"I am a ninja of the Leaf," was her only answer.

Sarutobi smiled widely. "Perhaps one of the few true ones," he intoned sadly, despite his smile. "Very well. The cost of this is something I should be doing myself tonight, though it is a grim thing," Handing the woman a large sealing scroll, the Hokage then added a smaller one above it, waiting for the woman to take it. "Perhaps it is best you did approach me. She will need someone after this news."

She had been in ANBU and a ninja long enough to recognize that tone. No further words were needed. "I understand, Hokage-sama. May I be relieved of my duties for the near future?"

The old man raised an eyebrow, knowing what she meant but wanting the confirmation from her own lips, "Which duties?"

"ANBU, Hokage-sama."

Nodding slightly, the man's hands worked on a scroll lightly. "I will pass this along. Take a week, she is strong, but this will not be easy.

"Now. To your original question. Do you recall a young boy, named Naruto Uzumaki?"

_ He wasn't gone-_

_ She didn't love him-_

_ He wasn't her father, or grandfather or anything-_

_ She wasn't alone again-_

_ Again..._

Yugao flinched as a wave of sadness, hate and despair so deep it made her want to curl up and just _die_ washed over her, originating from what to all appearances was a slightly smiling if stunned young girl.

"You're lying."

The ANBU flinched, but pushed past the girl in the doorway, forcing the conversation to turn with her and out of the street. "I'm sorry Naru," she tried, she really did but that... impossible wave of emotions, her earlier conclusions, the talk with the Sandaime... she paused and the name came out mulled.

Naru thankfully was numb to the world, at least in part. She felt someone pulling at her shoulders, trying to guide her to a chair and flailed lightly. Lightly for Naru nearly sent Yugao careening into a wall, until the woman regained her senses and used more forceful means to get the young girl seated.

The blonde didn't seem to take in her state, and Yugao realized she was going into shock. Finding a blanket on a couch, she came back and draped it over the girl's shoulders, noting her blank blue eyes were still fixed on the far wall, unmoving. "Naru. You need to pull yourself together.

"I talked to the Hokage," she hazarded, hoping to jolt the girl back into reality. Yugao watched as the girl's eyes stayed fixed, not even a flicker of awareness. Cursing the old man in a brief fit of rebellion, she shook the girl lightly, "Yasugi would have wanted you to go on. Are you going to let this undo all he's been for you?"

Naru under normal circumstances would have been shocked at the impassioned tones the ANBU was using, saying nothing for the outrage she would have felt for her words alone. Never before had she heard the woman use more than a flat monotone. Even Yugao was upset by her own emotional outburst, but she'd gotten fond of the girl, from seeing her spirit and drive. She was a bright light, and at that singular moment, she hated the Sandaime for making her the one to dim it.

Yugao was worried. With all the old man had told her, such a shock to the youth's mind could have very dire consequences. Dire for her student, whom now she was solely responsible for, dire for the village where any mistakes with the Kyuubi could spell disaster, and dire for herself, if she failed her Kage. His maneuvering and manipulations aside, it was probably better for him to do this, than her. They were close – she was just a recent teacher!

What undid Yugao's composure more than anything else was also the very thing that kept her working to snap Naru out of her shock. ANBU training didn't allow for failure. The Hokage had inadvertently invoked the woman's almost subconscious drive in a mission mindset. Yugao acted on that mission drive to snap the young girl out of her shock, unable to consider the concept of failure.

Between a vow of secrecy, her student's well-being, and the Hokage's directives, she was pulled in too many directions, and something had to give. "Duty be damned. Naru. I know who you are. What you've gone through. Claw your way back up, you can't fall to this. I know you're stronger. People die – it's our way of life. You wanted to be a kunoichi, well here is tonight's lesson. Emotions are secondary, the mission comes first. Do you understand?"

The girl shied from her, but Yugao pulled her back, brown eyes fixing on vacant blue. "Do you understand, Student?"

Faintly, distantly, quietly, "...yes, sensei."

"You will come out of this intact," Yugao pulled the girl closer, fumbling to reassure her. She had no idea that the gesture went unnoticed, as the youth's mind bent and creaked under the strain. "You're too strong not to. You've worked too hard rebuilding yourself to let this slow you down."

"...yes, sensei."

Nodding but feeling unbearably worn, Yugao took the girl up and carried her to what she assumed was her bedroom. Settling her in the small bed, she then managed to arrange a place for herself, on the floor beside.

As the night went on, Yugao talked, letting stories of her ANBU missions fill in the silence. She spoke to keep Naru attentive, from drowning on that slippery slope of grief. She talked because the silence that night bothered her, and felt a little like death on it's own. She talked because having never been a mother, or been around children, she didn't realize that a kind word was vastly inferior to warm arms in soothing a hurting heart.

While Yugao talked, Naru healed. She healed the only way she knew how to. She lied.

Tenten knocked at the door to the Yasugi shop tentatively, lip firmly trapped between her teeth. She'd received Uzuki-sensei's message, brief as it was, after her daily tasks with Team Gai. To say she was upset as well would be a mild case of understatement, if what the brief message read was true.

She swore quietly, fingers idly toying with the handles of kunai as she still wore her training gear, having rushed directly from the training ground. Things had been too rapid recently – she and Naru had their little spat, and then there was that lingering doubt she knew the blonde still harbored. Now her guardian was dead... The blonde girl couldn't be dealing with this well. "Hell," Tenten mused to herself, "I'd be a mess if this happened to me."

"Tenten?" The brunette jumped slightly, blinking at the open door and Yugao Uzuki's silhouette standing there. "I'm glad you could come by," the woman mumbled, stepping back so the Genin could step by.

To her credit, Tenten didn't start at the woman's suddenly thawed manner. "How is she?"

Yugao shook her head slowly, saying nothing. "You should speak with her. I'll get some tea ready, there's some rice if you haven't eaten."

Tenten's already considerable frown deepened. Hurrying though the empty-feeling home, she easily found Naru's room and wasted little time barging in and scanning for her friend. She winced at what she saw. The blonde sat, back to the wall with her eyes half lidded, staring serenely at the space before her. There was no indication that she had even noted Tenten's arrival.

Cautiously the brunette sat beside her long-time friend, letting her weight settle on the small futon as she watched the girl beside her for any reaction. There was none. Looking away, Tenten gathered her thoughts, "Naru. I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry that... well it happened so soon after everything else. Tell me what you're thinking, please?"

"It's alright, Ten," Naru's light voice, lacking it's usual throaty purr that spoke of her focus, or the chirping lilt of her amusement, startled the girl beside her. "I'm fine."

"No you're not. You should be crying, or upset. Not like this, Naru."

Flat blue eyes regarded her, "You think I should be weak?"

Tenten's brow creased, a thread of anger making it's way to her voice despite her, "No, not weak. Human. People hurt, things hurt, life hurts. Shutting it off, shutting yourself off from all this isn't the answer."

"Yet, I want to be a ninja. A _kunoichi_," Naru replied in her serene drawl. "A kunoichi must be ready to turn themselves inside, put away emotion, put away life for the sake of the mission. Use what means she has, _any_ means..." she let the words trail off for a moment, the depth of those flat eyes threatening to drown Tenten. "This is what a kunoichi is. What I must be."

"Damnit, Naru! This isn't a mission, this is your heart! You can't treat your heart like a target, assassinate it."

The blonde girl turned, the motion taking an excruciating moment. "Oh I don't intend to, Ten," a pale, cold hand worked it's way into Tenten's own. "I... need time. I need to hear."

Tilting her head, the small buns she wore casting odd shadows against her friend's face, Tenten watched those empty eyes. "Hear what?"

"Myself. Tell me about Naru Kazami, Ten," a beatific smile met the other girl's questioning look. "Tell me so I don't lose myself to this."

The girl nodded slightly, jerkily, before she moved. In a number of moments, Tenten had pulled the second futon to the side of Naru's, settling them so they were side by side. She helped the apathetic girl to lay down, long blonde hair laid out to her side as she too settled, next to the younger kunoichi.

Tenten wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist, her chin against Naru's shoulder. "Naru Kazami. I remember the day I met her, it was springtime. She was walking beside an old man, a friend of my father's. She was smiling, this odd, squinty smile so you couldn't see her eyes. Pretty blue eyes. Then she asked me why I was staring, and why I had mouse ears."

She felt the light tremor, a hitch in Naru's breathing. She didn't look to see if it was tears, or laughter, or a sigh. Nestling closer, she let her voice drop as she recalled all the details she knew, all the things that were Naru in her mind. Mouth close to the blonde's ear, she continued her tale, murmuring as long as her strength and wakefulness would last, "I think the thing I remember most is her smile. She's always smiling..."

Yugao looked in on them later, having expected Tenten to come back out for tea, or rice, or to let her know how Naru was. She instead found the two huddled together on one futon, laying close and if her senses were to be trusted, the older girl was murmuring to her charge. Naru was laying, eyes closed but attentive, her breathing saying she was not sleeping anymore than her close-kept companion.

The ANBU turned and sighed, leaning against the far wall. She didn't know whether to feel relief or anger or hurt, that her efforts had been insufficient. It wasn't a lack of training or experience that she could have foreseen. Mothering a child was not something ANBU prepared one for, and Yugao had been groomed to walk the path of a kunoichi since she was old enough to draw a blade.

A soft curse heralded her mask, the weight of her training coming back to the fore. She would not abandon discipline, it would preserve her through this. It wasn't a kunoichi's place to let such thoughts overwhelm them. She had to be ready when Tenten left, to take over.

Mind set, she sat and prepared scrolls, routines, and training regimen's for her charge and friend. Soon Naru would be ready to continue.

She had to be. Yugao would not fail the Leaf, Sarutobi, or Naru.

The scrolls unpacked well, she noted. It was a small comfort, small grace that whoever it was that left her guardian's throat slit to bleed out on the road from Wave country to Fire had left them. Naru smiled, hands running over the silk backing of the larger spools. "These are all his things. Trade goods and wares. I never knew he had such a talent for seals."

"I don't think he did," Tenten replied to her friend's somber statement. Her own fingers skipped along a brace of the wound silk, picking one out to inspect finally. "I've been learning some of it. It's easy, but takes years of cultivating chakra control to make efficient, large storage seals. Trader's scrolls like these are a Chuunin's or craftsman's work."

"I bet he could. Yasugi was great," Naru's smile was sad, but remained insistent. "Why do you think they left his things? It's not like bandits to leave goods behind. It's not their way."

Tenten nodded, but stayed silent, the meaning clear. Bandits didn't. She instead worked to sort the cartload of scrolls and non-sealed goods that had been delivered to the home Naru now owned. "These are the goods from Mist and Wave. There's a list there."

"Should be just a bit further in. We'll find the books soon."

"It's not that important, Naru." The older girl sighed, looking up into the carefully situated mask of her friend. Her smile had barely left since she'd arrived days before. It changed, but never left. "If you want I can look through-"

A hand settled on her own, squeezing softly. "I'm alright. I need to do this. This is what he left me, part of it. If I don't come to terms with something like this, how can I manage the bigger things? Oh, here's one." Naru pulled out a scroll bearing the sigil of Snow Country, brandishing it grandly. "Lets see what we have."

Other scrolls had been categorized, set aside and took up quite a lot of the workshop's space. It was an impressive mess, but it was her mess now. Larger ones contained the raw materials for the shop's work, bronze and more precious metals for fine detailing. Delicate woods and bone that must be shaped out of large bases to get at their needed cores. Spools of hardened silks and leathers for grips. Woods to be lacquered by the cord for _saya_ and sword racks.

Smaller scrolls contained workable blades and repair tasks, finished or otherwise. There were also some household goods, and a number of others that Naru had yet to open. Many were unlabeled.

The smallest stack she and Tenten pored over, searching, unsealing, resealing and categorizing. These were the scrolls on Yasugi's person, in his personal cache. "I think this is the method book he was looking for," Naru muttered, picking up the now-freed tome, leafing through it with a nod. "Yep. I think Orikata will enjoy this one."

"I'll make sure he gets it," Tenten quietly replied, somewhat unsettled by Naru's blasé attitude. "These are household things. More tea and spices, some more exotic foodstuffs. He was quite the cosmopolitan."

"Tradesman at heart. The old man loved the fine things, even if he practiced an almost monklike moderation. He knew what it meant to take pride in his work, enjoyed seeing it in others as well," Naru replied, labeling the scroll she was handed and putting it in a small set. She turned, watching as Tenten blinked, eyes darting her way then back to what she held. "Is something wrong?"

Shaking her her head, the other girl handed the scroll she held over quickly, "No. This one is just labeled for you."

Looking down, Naru started, glancing back up with a guarded expression. The scroll's only address was a spiraling seal, a stylization of the one she bore around her navel. "Why do you say that?"

Tenten blushed and looked down, "I've seen that seal before. When you were resting in our shop. It was outlined on your skin."

Shrugging, Naru let the girl's comment lay, "It's alright. Not like I mind you seeing it. Just... don't ask around about it. You won't like the answers." She looked at the scroll in her hand, smile having faded somewhat. "Why would he have made this so... obvious," she murmured quietly.

Seeing that Naru was taken with her own scroll, Tenten continued working through the bundles, placing them in the proper locations to be dealt with. Years of working with Yasugi and Naru in their shop let her know the way the pair organized. It was a simple matter to place things. The few scrolls she needed help with, Naru could handle easy enough.

"I see you two are still going through all of them," Yugao peered around the corner, getting a wave from the two girls. "I placed the few labeled for Orikata in a pack for you, Tenten," turning her attention to the blonde, she tilted her head. "Will you be ready to resume your instruction tomorrow, Naru?"

"Uzuki-sensei-"

Naru cut off her friend's complaint, "I'll be ready. I'll meet you both at the training ground tomorrow afternoon. After all I've had a bit longer of a break that I intended." She met Tenten's shocked looks with a rueful one of her own. "I don't plan to fall behind."

Yugao nodded, pensive but satisfied. "Tomorrow then. I will meet you both then."

When she had gone, Tenten could stand it no longer, "Naru! What are you doing?"

Blinking up at her friend, the girl shrugged. "Preparing."

"I don't understand."

The younger girl heaved a breath. "I wasn't there for him, Tenten." She held up a hand, halting the other girl's words, guessing that she meant to reassure her. Belying her smile, Naru's words were clipped, brittle, "He was family. I wasn't there. It won't happen again. I won't be weak again, when I'm needed. If all this work, all I've done to be a kunoichi, a ninja of the Leaf doesn't let me protect those close to me, then what's the point?"

Blue eyes pinned Tenten, held her still. "One day, this will happen again. You. Yugao. The Old Man. Maybe someone else, even. I won't be cloistered at home, waiting, biding my time for another letter.

"I have to be strong enough. Strong enough to protect you," laying her head down on the table, Tenten watched as the blonde's smiling face was limned with tears. She knew then, that no matter what face she saw Naru wear, it wasn't the one she knew, the Naru before Yasugi's death.

Reaching out, she moved to the blonde's side, curling her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. "It's alright. You're not the only one, ok?"

"Mmm?"

"You think you can protect everyone?" Tenten let herself laugh quietly. "You have to sleep too, y'know."

"Sleep with my eyes open," she mumbled, digging fingers into Tenten's side to make her yelp.

The brunette was glad of her friend's humor. She worried, true, but this at least she knew. This was familiar, even if Naru's new, brittle, hollow smile frightened her. "Well, then you can keep watch when we get missions together," Tenten jibed, smirking. "I'll catch up on my sleep."

"Speaking of sleep, you should head back. I'll finish what I can of this before tomorrow."

Looking at the nearby clock, Tenten nodded tiredly, forgetting how long they'd been at their task. It had taken nearly a day and a half to get where they were, and that was with Yugao's help. Then again, the first day was mostly Tenten trying to help the ANBU sort the load, while Naru slept on, her mind finally at ease.

Tenten let herself out, as Naru returned to considering the scroll marked with the Kyuubi's seal. Pricking her finger, she smeared the stain across the seal, watching impassive as it shrank down in on itself, finally curling into ash. The fine silk unrolled in her hands, yards of fine script apparent on the length.

As she'd thought, Yasugi didn't know about her seal, not in truth. He'd likely picked up the pattern from her own work, idle sketches or the few attempts at casting. What lay in her hands was a piecemeal but extensive set of diagrams, outlining chakra control techniques. Further, she found another storage seal, this one with instructions and contents.

Enough metal for a blade, and parts to set it. Apparently it was for her, and something Yugao had asked for the old man to find while he was off plying his trade. His hand described it as unfinished, which in Yasugi's language meant she would be forging the blade herself if she meant to use it.

Naru sighed, remembering her most recent failure in the forge. She wasn't a smith, but if it was the man's will she do it, one last time then she would. She eyed the scroll incredulously, something wary and horrified creeping up in her thoughts.

More silk was unrolled, it's backing fading from green to a deep red as she went. Scrolls had been copied here, old and new apparently. What she had taken to be a billet list was in fact a list of poisons, fine and specific. She read on, pinning the source somewhere in Grass country, the capital of that particular art. Mixing instructions, precautions, effects, antidotes... and further a section bracketed off, obviously a containment seal. "Old Man... this is too convenient. What's this all about?"

As if reaching beyond the grave to answer, beyond this point she saw clearly Yasugi's own script. The blonde read, rapt as it explained in detail the man's life.

Kensuke Yasugi was born Aramaki Momochi, in the country of Wave some time around the rule of the Second Hokage. His family moved to Water country, eventually settling in the village of ninja, Kirigakure, the village hidden in Mist. In great depth the narrative went over his life, as a simple trader and craftsman, choosing his father's work rather than that which his brother did. A brother who went on to join the Mizukage's ranks as a swordsman.

Aramaki did what he could for his sibling, often putting aside his work to come and repair or make gear for his tasks. Eventually the Bloodline Purges came, and he was forced to flee, the elder Momochi having been named outlaw by his own Kage, for performing his destined task.

The smith Aramaki died in a raid, but in the nearby country of Fire the man Kensuke Yasugi came to be known as an excellent swordsmith. He eventually gained enough fame to be allowed entry to Konoha, and thereby secured his safety. And the safety of his brother, whom he protected by disappearing, refusing to be a weakness for the proud shinobi.

Yasugi was content with his life, till one day he was asked by the Hokage to take in a young girl, whom he said was an orphan. Later he would spend his time passing what he knew on, exchanging help in his craft and the knowledge of his methods to her, in exchange for room and board, and the small joys of companionship.

The smith from Mist had never desired a family, but that young girl who reminded him so much of his own brother gave him all he'd ever wanted. It didn't matter that she had secrets, didn't everyone, after all?

One day, he received word that his brother needed him. It seemed odd, the old man's script scrawled out, but he went, because suspicious or not, if his brother needed him, he would go.

There was no meeting with the brother he'd left to protect, instead there was a man known only as Gatou. Yasugi knew that he was being used, either against his brother or his new adopted daughter, but he didn't give them time to find him.

The last words on the scroll from Yasugi were kind, warm and set the smiling girl's eyes to tears again. He knew, after his trek to fulfill his tasks that he wouldn't be returning home to her. He apologized, but hoped she understood. He'd spent his life protecting his younger brother – it was his duty to do this.

But also his duty to protect her.

The deeds to the shop and his affects were included, all passed to her. There was one last containment seal, but she left it be, the note below it warning that it was a one-use container. Only to be opened when she was ready.

Eyes watering so she could no longer read, Naru was not. Being sure to dry her few tear stains from the precious scroll, she wound it tight and tied it shut again, this time forcing the Kyuubi's chakra into a seal around the thing. The kitsune agreed it was good enough cause, and though she was worried in her own right, felt that the girl's emotions breaking free was better than her container simply destroying them.

The spirit's pride in her added to the warmth of Yasugi's words, and she pulled the huge scroll, almost a quarter of her size, with her to bed. Curled up around it much like she had Tenten the night before, and the night before that, Naru thought about her goals. Thought about what she told her best friend as they sorted a dead man's things.

Tomorrow she'd finish cleaning. She would honor the man who'd left her a life of her own by at least respecting his space.

Yugao looked up from her instruction with Tenten and paused, going very still for a count of three. "That is a new look for you."

Naru's grin widened slightly, her eyes closing to amused slits briefly. "I've changed looks once or twice," she replied to Yugao's observation. Her mind flashed to the gaudy orange jumpsuit she abandoned, the first day out as a girl. Better clothes weren't hard to find, once the merchants no longer considered making their client a target.

She had searched through the house, packing overnight rather than sleeping. The day and a half of sleep before had left her more than enough energy, energy she turned toward putting some order into her world. Chaos was still predominant, still ruled it but she was bending it now, guiding its haphazard flow.

Through that search she had found one of the old man's _haori_, a long jacket that on her fell to mid-thigh with sleeves that came down to her wrists. It was white with red trim and pattern, a dusting of crimson butterflies. Arguably worse than the orange she'd worn so long ago, it reversed to black with the same pattern, which seemed more fitting. She'd reverse it when needed, maybe get one in the proper colors some day. Right now it was comfortable for what it represented. Something of Yasugi, she could carry with her.

The collar was high, which was fine, as she'd taken some of the stock leather from the parcels and made a sling for the scroll that the old man had left. The high collar kept the wide strip of leather that secured it from riding into her neck. The scroll itself rested at the small of her back, parallel to the ground. To keep her hair from getting fouled in either the collar or sling, she wound and bound it with three senbon. It seemed a very kunoichi thing to do she thought.

Admittedly the other reason she found the long _haori_ to her liking was the mask that rested askew on her head. Bright white and blood red, it was a festival piece representing a kitsune, tied just under the bun her hair rested in. Their matching colors seemed too interesting a pair to pass up. This too was packed in one of Yasugi's scrolls, albeit meant for sale elsewhere. Konoha didn't think very highly of fox-themed items, after all.

Tenten looked at her friend with a tilted head. "What brought this on?"

Naru shrugged, "One, it's cold and I liked the jacket. Lots of pockets and enough material to make it hard to see your hands. Not that I'll wear it practicing – I like it too much to let Uzuki-sensei carve it off me." She grinned at her teacher, earning a slight nod in reply. "As for the scroll... well I just want to keep it near. Sentimental value, I guess."

Yugao looked pointedly at the mask, sitting at an angle atop Naru's head. "And what of that?"

"This?" Naru pulled down the mask till it covered her face, it's caricature grin and squinting eyes causing Tenten to shudder slightly. "This I just like."

"If you are through playing dress-up, the lesson is waiting."

Naru sighed, nodding an apology while she settled her jacket, scroll, and mask nearby. It wasn't till she was standing in her usual casual if functional clothes that Tenten noticed that with all that was new, something was lacking as well. "Your zanbato-"

"At home. If I'm going to learn what Uzuki-sensei is trying to teach, I need to do it honestly, rather than just when I'm out training." Those words spoken, the smaller girl spun on the observing ANBU, "Teach me something new today, Sensei!"

"...right." Shaking her head and wondering what precisely she'd gotten herself into – for at least the fifth time – Yugao had the two pair off. "I've gotten Tenten up to your level in melee range. She doesn't have your strength, so cut it down."

"Right."

"Use the techniques and ideas I taught you. I'll correct as needed." Making a few small immediate changes to each girl's stance and hold on their weapon, she nodded. Bouncing back three paces she murmured a quiet "Begin," the last syllable drowned out by the clash and clang of steel.

As the two circled and struck she continued teaching, knowing that the youth's heightened reactions and battle-awake minds would absorb her information quickly. "Don't rely on stance, being predictable is the same as standing still."

"Capitalize on every opening, if only to test it."

"Assume every opening is a trap, and counter accordingly."

"Ninja use knives as tools. Tools are limited, not a part of you. When your weapon becomes a part of you, then you exceed the limitations of that label."

"Never neglect to use your weapon as a tool when needed."

"Learn to do more than slice and stab. Learn precision. Learn delicacy."

"Ninja are subtle because we are killers. To continue as ninja, we must act, then cease to be. We are the blades of a _wakazashi_ – deadly when exposed, invisible when sheathed."

She knew some of her words would be misunderstood – time was on her side though. Despite knowing it would take some drilling to get the concepts ingrained, she was pleased to see the two grasping the nature of what she was attempting to pass on. Naru began setting traps with her stance, luring Tenten to attack false weaknesses, while her older counterpart was starting to use the back of her blade to increase pressure for her strikes, reverse direction or hook the smaller girl's limbs.

During Yugao's sometimes impassioned and contradictory snippets, Tenten and and Naru grunted and winced as their blades snapped out, lashed or defended. More often than not they missed entirely, but on three occasions the ANBU had to be called in to heal a nasty cut or gash. Unsurprising to either of them, Naru refused any healing.

After both girls were bloodied and winded, Yugao stepped up their instruction. "After each strike, change the position of your blades. If you strike underhanded with the blade out, flip it, invert the hold to an outward one, whatever. Practice adjusting quickly to new grips and how they affect you. Begin."

The effect was obvious. Each girl struck, fumbled, and had to dodge as her opponent took advantage of the opening. But they improved. They also learned that reacting was better than thinking, and that thinking was best done without alerting your opponent.

Naru learned the latter lesson slower, telegraphing her strikes almost comically. For all both the blonde's company knew she kept an emotional mask in place, here at least she was painfully open. She balanced it by using pattens and attacks that had little form, but excelled at their goal.

Tenten on the other hand was slow to drop static routines and improvise, relying on muscle memory and logic to defend and attack as opposed to cunning and opportunity. Naru brutalized her in those moments, often halting the girl's attacks with savage and unpredictable counters before the brunette could formulate a response.

They were both shedding their weaknesses slowly as time went on. Yugao could see the roots of what she was teaching taking hold and spreading, altering their actions. Feeling that the two could use a break before they themselves broke, she called a halt, two hours after their practice had begun.

"Good. You are leaning how to learn, which is better than any stance or method I could teach you."

Tenten panted, but the older woman could clearly see the question in the girl's eyes, and motioned for her to speak, "Sorry, was still getting my breath." Standing fully, she winced, hand going to her side. Naru sped to her, inspecting the split cloth with a frown. She waved Yugao over, who was already forming the handseals for a healing jutsu.

"Must have missed that one," the brunette grunted, eyes shut tight. "What I wanted to aaaAAOUWTCH! Sorry," sucking air through her teeth, the girl sagged as the technique ended. "Why no stances? Gai, hell even Neji are solid fighters with their stances."

Naru nodded at the girl's point, and Yugao spared them both a wry grin. "They do, and for them, they work well. Gai is an elite Jounin – one of the very, very few. His technique is as close to flawless as they come, and it's been his life's work to perfect it. Neji, though, will soon hit his glass ceiling I believe. The thing both share though, is a reliance on order.

"Tactics in battle is a must, and this sometimes blinds those that hope to use it to see," the woman went on, sitting cross-legged before the younger girls. "Predicting a battle seven steps ahead implies an implicit knowledge of your opponent." Tilting her head, the woman smiled viciously. "Lets test your grasp of tactics. Naru, what do you know of the Hyuuga?"

The blonde considered that a moment before sighing, "Not much. They have a bloodline that lets them see chakra. I don't know much more."

"They have a style that allows them to see and then shut down chakra points, like pressure points on the body," Tenten added, gaining Naru's attention. "The Byakugan also allows them to see very far away, and through some objects."

"Very good," Yugao noted, glad to see her students pooling what they knew openly. She did make a point to herself to discuss secrecy with both of them soon, however. "Now, with that in mind, Tenten, tell me how you'd defeat him?"

The brunette gaped a moment, blinking. "I... I don't think I could."

"Why?"

"I've not seen a weakness in his stance or defense."

Though she expected the answer, considering the girl's time around the branch Hyuuga, his grandstanding, and her own limitations, she was still disappointed. "Alright, fair enough. Naru?"

Immediately those blue eyes shut down, dimming as Naru turned her mind inside. It was a somewhat disconcerting thing to see, and Yugao looked forward to the day the girl could utilize that on a true battlefield. "Can I ask a question?"

"I will consider answering."

Naru nodded, as if that answer was expected. "If they can see chakra, is it like light? For instance, if I were focusing on Tenten, and if she set off a flare for instance..."

"Very good," Yugao beamed, which to her was a slight grin. "Yes it is. Turn a strength into a weakness. The Byakugan is a clarity skill, a precision talent that allows a Hyuuga to predict a target's actions and react. They predict by watching you. This is what can be considered 'common knowledge', gained by numerous battles and boastful members.

"Now, formulate an offense, Naru."

"Right," again the younger girl's gaze went icy. "I'd begin by telegraphing my movements, allowing Neji to gain confidence in his attacks.

"Once his offense is assured, he will neglect his defense. A stance has only so many options from one position to the next," Yugao was secretly very pleased, hearing the blonde go into such detail. She worried that the plan was too complex, but in truth there was only one step. She'd let the girl go on, and adjust or negate her ideas when she saw error. "At this point I'd like to point out I would not be using a blade."

"Why not?"

Naru smiled at Tenten's question. "I'd keep it sheathed on my forearm, with a fast-release."

"Devious, but the Hyuuga can see such things."

Naru considered that, but smiled. "He'll be more concerned with his stance and the progress of his routine. I'll see it and begin predicting it by taking negligible damage. When I'm assured I know his pattern, I'll begin by diverting his attention-" to demonstrate, she extended a hand, then clenched it. Both her companions flinched as the slight discomfort of raw chakra release brushed over them. "A flare. His attention will either go to it, or flinch away. Then I pull my blade within his guard." She fell silent, watching Yugao patiently.

The ANBU tilted her head, but only returned the blonde's stare for a handful of moments. "Yes, Naru?"

"You only asked what we'd do, not how to finish it. Am I sparring, or in a pitched battle?"

A slight chill went up Tenten's spine at her friend's words. Before she could ask why the difference, Yugao held up a hand. "Pitched battle."

Naru nodded, "Then, I'd blind him, or kill him depending on the availability of the strike. If I can do neither, then I'd spend the opening to cripple and disable his stance."

"Naru! That's-"

"What you should be thinking," the ANBU cut the younger woman off. Tenten shot her a horrified glance but relented, realizing her own hesitation was due to the Hyuuga being a teammate. Still, even she didn't think that such a final end would be the actual goal of their talk... was this what she would be faced with some time? Killing a teammate? The idea shook her.

Beside her, Naru was having a similar response to her own words, if for a different reason. "When did I get so cold?" She wondered, but cast the idea aside almost as quick as it came. "If I'm in a position where I must fight, then I must. I can't think on why or how, or who if it happens. Either I win or lose. I just have to make sure that if I fight, I'm doing it for the right reasons," recalling Tenten's expression, she knew that if some day she lost those ideals, it wouldn't be death that took her precious people away.

It would be her own inhumanity.

Yugao could guess where her two students had let their minds wander. Though she was proud that they were progressing, she wondered if they were ready for the things she was teaching. Tenten at least had passed her Genin exams, and was taking missions with Team Gai. Naru on the other hand was still dealing with her guardian's death.

"They are kunoichi," she reminded herself with a mental shift. "If they don't learn now, they'll learn later, and that's a much less pleasant lesson." Resolve firmed, she took both of her charges by the shoulder, startling them back to the now. "You did well today. Continue and I will be able to retire soon."

The slight humor broke their mood, and the three turned to the ranged area. Tenten's wired kunai were waiting for them. "Finally something that doesn't end with me bleeding," the brunette murmured with a slight smile.

Yugao pulled out a few of her own sharpened throwing knives. "Oh? What makes you think that?"

If not for Naru thinking fast, Tenten would have likely found her shoes, if not feet, stapled to the ground by a hail of kunai. "What are you waiting on? Hit the targets."

"With you trying to kill us?!" Naru's shrill question was cut off by a change in targets by their teacher.

"Not all of your targets will stand and willingly accept being aerated. Some will have allies."

Naru spun around, snapping her blade out to deflect a kunai that was aimed at her knee, "What are you, a treehugger then?"

"For today, I am an ally of the targets. Your job is to neutralize them, before I neutralize you." She punctuated her point by trying to puncture her students.

They were learning. Neither was bleeding yet. Much.

Another two hours – Yugao had planned their practice out to induce exhaustion, and was happy with the result. Tenten was left in a barely conscious heap, while Naru was actually winded and fighting to stand at the end. Yugao was happy of that, knowing the girl's chakra-induced stamina could be capitalized on or neutralized too easily, and that honest body hardening would be best. That was the point, in all truth – running them to exhaustion would harden them, and help them grow.

Yugao was about to dismiss them when Naru stumbled forward, a hopeful expression on her face. "Sensei, is there a waterfall around here?"

Nodding, the ANBU ninja pointed to the southwest. Naru thanked her, before shouldering her scroll and dashing off as if gaining a third wind.

Her two companions looked to one another, then shrugged. Yugao would have followed, but wanted to make sure Tenten made it home alright. She knew where Naru would go, and if she was still there once the other girl was settled, then she'd ask.

She'd also remind the blonde that teamwork didn't end after practice. Not that Tenten was heavy, but the girl's aim was amazing, and her own reserves were running low with the amount of chakra she'd used in healing that afternoon.

It didn't take Naru long to find the location Yugao had indicated, but the waterfall itself wasn't very large, or suited for her task. Looking up and down the river that flowed, she turned to the north and hoped that there were broader, harsher waters there.

The search paid off, and Naru gleefully pulled out her scroll, unrolling the first few yards to inspect it critically. Shrugging off her jacket, most of her clothes and the mask, she shivering and shaking made it to the fall where the water impacted the river below.

Situating herself in the fall, but not wholly under it, Naru settled into the meditative pose they taught the basics of at the Academy. Though her teachers never went into detail, they did outline basic meditation as a way to clear the mind for missions and tasks, which was enough for this Naru hoped. Focusing on her chakra and not the water, she began the exercises outlined in the scroll.

"Breathe in, expand the chakra out..." she murmured, visualizing as she did the image she was supposed to focus on. The exercise called for her to express a layer of chakra just thick, resilient, and strong enough to insulate her body, but not wholly disrupt the waterfall itself. Making an 'umbrella' was too much, and letting the water just run off her like a duck was too little.

Not that she could likely do either of those... but that was in the instructions, so! Breathing in, she focused on the feel, pushing out her chakra as the air expanded in her lungs slowly.

The water continued to pelt her.

Eyebrow twitching, she tried the other exercise. "Breathe out, let my chakra become a cloak around me..." this one she felt good about. Gathering chakra into her lungs, she was to breathe it out like a mist, controlling it and shaping it around her to reinforce the other method.

Ideally, the two would build a cycle she could continue while meditating, using the waterfall as an indicator of her progress. If she stopped getting soaked, she was doing it right.

Shivering, Naru focused on her task. The cold was good motivation. Despite the cold and water though, it took her nearly an hour to begin seeing progress, slight as it was. She had been falling into the half-trance of meditation when the sound of water against her ears and shoulders lessened. Focusing on the feeling of chakra around her, Naru let her mind turn to the flow of energy, letting the sound and sensation become secondary to it.

She lost it twice, her focus slipping with her excitement before she could begin to capture and hold the feeling in place. The light was failing, though, and despite Naru having chakra to burn, this was like working an unused muscle.

Sure, she had power to spare, but the muscles for making it something other than just brute strength were weak and useless. Yugao compared it to vision. If she only focused on near things, the muscles in her eye would be too weak to let her see far away.

Naru refused to be weak. Shivering and with chattering teeth, she gathered up her things, the real meaning behind the jacket apparent now as it warmed her quickly. Despite it, she hurried with chilled bones and sluggish muscles toward home and a warm bed.

Tomorrow was another day, and she had a number of tasks to accomplish.

"Suzume-sensei!"

Naru's voice carried down the halls, stalling the woman who's name she called. Though it was often the case at the Academy, not many students sought out Suzume Namida for after-hours training. Turning, the kunoichi regarded the young blonde from behind small, oval-shaped glasses. "Yes, Naru-chan?"  
The young girl grinned, or rather her grin widened. Suzume was the primary kunoichi studies instructor. Some time ago that label confused the recently-female Naru, but with one badly-timed question she'd learned why there were separations in studies. It wasn't that female ninja were weaker, despite their frames taking to the exercise and strain that ninja training put them through differently. They weren't less intelligent, in fact most strategists and planners in the recent memory of the Element nations had been women. In a strictly by-the-numbers basis, the two genders were equal.

The bottom line was, however, they were not. Men overlooked women in civilian situations, didn't suspect them when it came to foods and drink, let down their guard to them when their passions and lusts overcame reason, and they killed just as efficiently from each angle presented.

Kunoichi earned their title by using even their gender as a weapon. Suzume Namida taught them how to do so, and the dangers that those weapons brought on themselves.

"Suzume-sensei, is it a bad time?"

"No, Naru. Ah, you're here about the note you left," the woman's smile never strayed from polite. "Come along. It's rare for one to take such an interest in their studies. Though I do wonder... is this really something you see yourself suited for?" It wasn't meant to be an insult, but there was the thread of disbelief there. Neither missed it's implication.

The blonde smiled, a sly, private smile. "I think I have a pretty good chance of impressing my ability on you," she said in response.

It would have surprised anyone who knew Naru a month previous, to see the tomboyish, loud, sometimes mischievous girl asking the village's primary resource for infiltration and covert actions for advanced lessons. Luckily, Naru had an ace up her sleeve.

Suzume looked the girl over critically, frowning slightly at the oversized men's jacket and tasteless mask. "You think so? Do explain."

They entered the woman's office, and Naru closed the door behind them with a slight chuckle. "Close the blinds? I'll need to seal them with some _ofuda_."

"Privacy seals? What are you planning, Naru?"

"Just a demonstration. I figure proving I've been essentially pulling one over on the whole village for almost six years would be good enough to qualify me for some advanced training," she said, all the while trying not to snicker. She was wary of revealing her secret to someone else, but this seemed to be the only way to impress the woman. Her own reputation was working against her here, and though her facade of being a careless, flighty, but sometimes brilliant ninja-in-training worked for the most part, in some cases it only hurt her chances. Besides, what fun was a prank you never got credit for?

Suzume resumed her impassive stare, curious despite her outwardly chilly front. "Alright, Naru. I'll bite. So, lets start with the basics," snapping through a series of handseals too fast to track, the woman halted, her fingers pointed at the blonde. "KAI!"

Nothing happened. Suzume's glasses glinted, "Alright. So you're saying you've been doing deep-cover work for numerous years. You're not under an illusion, and I know from what physical training I oversaw you're not wearing any fake body-prosthetics. What are you getting at?"

"I'm a boy."

The older kunoichi blinked once, before her glasses tilted to reflect the setting sun with an ominous glint. "Strip."

Swallowing slightly, Naru did so though she paled. "Ok," she thought to herself while peeling off her undershirt, "She can be a little scary."

Once the young girl was down to her brief underwear, the woman stopped her. "Ok, as interesting as this is, I'm not seeing the proof of your statement."

"I need to er. Well just watch – but not too close!" Blushing madly, Naru focused and winced slightly as the Kyuubi's chakra swept over her. It had been years since she wore this form, and though it proved useful to drive the point home... she didn't want to be in it more than absolutely necessary.

Naruto, slightly taller, broader and with shorter hair, blinked back at the Chuunin instructor as she half fell, half stumbled into a chair. "Is... oh. Oh my god. _Naruto_?"

"Er," nodding once, the now-boy coughed, stumbling on his own voice. "Wow, been a while since I used this... so. Do I get to take the class?"

Suzume snapped to attention at the reminder to the purpose of this madness. "Right, that's why... I need to test." A snapped and rapid set of handseals, and another cry of "Kai!" echoed through the room, but again, the boy was left in just the same shape as the girl he had been was previously. "This just isn't possible..."

Laughing nervously, Naruto scratched at the back of his head. "So... about that training..."

"One last test," the woman snapped out, rising and stalking closer.

"Er, um. What do you mean? It's obviously not a Henge or Genju-"

A wicked glint overcame the woman's normally impassive glare, "Of course, but unlike your... female guise, I've not tested this form for any artifice in it's shape."

"Tested? What do you meeEEAAAN!" The boy's voice rose an octave, as the woman's hands 'verified' his gender.

"Naruto?"

"S-Suzume-sensei?"

"Turn your head and cough."

The blonde kunoichi in training sat, face red as the setting sun, studying a scroll while her teacher looked on with a pensive expression on her face.

"And it never seemed to occur to you-"

"Nope. Too young maybe. The concepts of boy and girl were little more than words," she had given that peculiarity some thought, over the years. Her color settled as she thought over that rather than what had occurred to prove her claim or what was on the scroll. One didn't just... stop being one and become the other. Naru looked up, seeing the Chuunin's measuring stare. Better to handle this now, she figured wearily. "You know who Naruto was. What he had in him."

"Who _you_ are, what _you_ have-"

"I'm not Naruto."

Suzume scoffed, regarding the youth before her, "Just because you changed your face doesn't mean-"

"What does it mean? I destroyed everything he was, not that it was much. There was no one to mourn him. So what's left, after that? What's left to hold on to?"

Naru's glare did little more than stoke the woman's anger, "What you're talking about is mental illness! Your identity, who you are isn't Naru. You don't see this as wrong?"

The blonde stared, as if measuring the woman. Suzume shifted under that look, becoming more and more uncomfortable. Finally she broke her silence, "Are you so attached to your hate?"

"I don't know what you're-"

A small fist slammed into the desk, startling the woman. "I showed you, told you what I did in confidence. I wanted your help, but there's a cost for everything, Suzume-sensei."

The woman's eyes narrowed behind those small glasses. "Cost?"

"Cost," the blonde replied, icily. "No one was allowed to speak to Naruto about the Kyuubi – no one is allowed to know about my nature. The Hokage is already in the know. This is where it ends, no more people can hear about it."

The woman drew herself up, openly challenging that, "You don't get to make those rules. If the Hokage won't see reason-"

"_**Be quiet**_," the girl snapped, voice a dulcet dual-tone that rattled the room. Suzume's mouth snapped shut as Naru's eyes bled out to a baleful red. "Look at me. I'm... _Naruto_ is dead. In here," she tapped her head slightly, demon's eyes drilling into the woman. She was smaller, weaker, less experienced, but no one in Konoha would stand against the Kyuubi, so the Chuunin looked away, brow stormy. "You're an expert on covert action. Infiltration. Deceit under cover. The more I use the kitsune's chakra, the more likely it is someone's going to find me out. This change is her, not me – but what was left is. I made this into my life.

"He died so I can live. I won't go back to being a pariah because people are too weak to think for themselves, or see the obvious."

The older woman rocked back at the accusation and raw hate those words held. "The Kyuubi was evil. If you're working with it-"

"You want to know evil," Naru's tone was poisonous honey. "Go out and find an orphan. Mock them for who they are. Call them demon, because someone decided it was better for them to suffer than deal with the problem. Let people torment, try to kill it, maybe even succeed. Did Naruto kill anyone?"

"N-no."

"Have I razed this place, burnt it to the bedrock?"

The woman shook her head, trembling slightly.

"I am _not_ the Kyuubi. I am not the demon – _yet_. But push me far enough, and I'll hand her this weak, sniveling city and laugh while it burns."

Suzume sat, hard, swallowing a knot of fear that had her wanting to run and hide, run and just be away from here. "Why then. Why come to me?"

"I want to be the best kunoichi I can." Suzume's eyes were disbelieving behind her lenses. "I'm not the Kyuubi. I'm Naru. I'm human, as human as I've been allowed to be at least. I have only so many options, and I want to grasp them," sitting back, the girl seemed to lessen, grow small and waifish again. "I'm just Naru, but Naru needs to be stronger. Smarter. Better. Or I can't protect those people I care about."

That brought the Chuunin instructor up short. "Protect? Why?"

Naru threw her hands up in exasperation, "Because I care about them!"

Suzume nearly spat out that demons were incapable of love but the sharpened glare from Naru pushed those words back down her throat. Her mind flickered, as the world seemed to ghost and shiver, and she saw herself say those words. She saw a blur and sad, disgusted red eyes that considered her less than an insect, as the hands that suddenly matched them came into view, holding something wet and glistening and crushed it-

Shaking and weak, the woman looked back into placid blue eyes, her vision clearing suddenly. "What..."

"Don't ever presume to tell me what I am capable or incapable of," the blonde hissed, her voice barely a whisper but again having that odd harmonic duality. "You know _nothing_ of me. Only what I've showed you. This is why I came to you, the supposed expert. I want to sharpen those skills that let me sneak and hide even from you."

Her pride stung at that, but the boy... girl, she reminded herself... had a point. "Alright. Alright, I'll teach you. I just have one question though," the added hastily, wringing her hands slightly, her calm, calculating exterior fracturing.

Naru tilted her head, waiting.

"Why... it's obvious you speak to, work with the Kyuubi somehow. Why? Why trust the demon that nearly destroyed this village?"

The little blonde girl considered the woman before her steadily. "I can see you lost something to her. Someone close. I'm sorry for that, I am. I could say it wasn't personal, that the kitsune never wanted to attack Konoha, or that there was some deeper actions at work that resulted in that catastrophe, but I won't," blue eyes that were far too old for their eleven year old bearer closed a moment. "Because it won't matter.

"To answer your question – because when I was Naruto, I had _no one else_." Naru's eyes glistened, but she refused to let them tear up. She forced those emotions deeper, back behind the mask. "It was just me, out there fighting, trying and failing at the hands of every angry, pathetic, unreasoning person. He wasn't the demon." She shook her head hard, glaring at the woman. "You hated him, didn't you?"

Suzume nodded, not looking away or down.

"If you could, you would have hurt him, wouldn't you?"

"The demon took my husband."

"I don't care," the blonde replied, ice sheathing each word. Suzume stiffened but the youth went on, "So this child, this _container_ for the demon struggled and tried to gain the love of someone, anyone. How hard would it have been for him to learn to hate you all?"

The woman's eyes widened slightly in realization. "N-no..."

"Oh yes," Naru assured, glaring at the realization she was finally finding. "Teach him to hate by showing him nothing but that. Teach him violence by cracking his bones and breaking his spirit. And what do you reap? The Kyuubi was terrible, maybe. But it didn't _hate_.

"He would have. I may still," she finished with a whisper, eyes distant for just a moment, which passed. "I'm sorry. We wandered far off the reason I came here, and I'm beginning to think this was a mistake."

Suzume kept her eyes down, dark hair ringing her face as she drifted in her own silence for long minutes. Finally she took a breath, shaking her head, "He was a good man. He went to defend the village in the first wave, the one that was crushed when the Kyuubi tore an acre of the nearby forest up and slammed it back down on them. The proud of Konoha, and they never got a chance to even make a handseal. There was no way to find them, to even say goodbye.

"Then the Yondaime came so late in the battle. He sealed the demon then died, and we had already lost so much," the woman's words were thick now, laden with memory. Naru watched, fascinated to see it there, all but visible on it's own. "Then the Third tells us to call the child containing it a hero. How could we? We were made fools. Our strength meant nothing, but here was the demon – weak and powerless. Do you know how tempting that is? How easy pain is to just nudge from one target to the next?" Suzume breathed out deeply, her posture going weak and undone. "Yes it was weak. Yes it was petty and just... wrong. But what do you expect? Look at human culture. When has it been marked by compassion and understanding? We're a world broken into pieces based on military might."

Naru could only nod, though she felt nothing for the woman's platitudes. To think only a week ago she would be trying to comfort her, assure her former teacher it was all alright.

It scared her, the difference a life made. It also gave her insight into why Suzume, under her cool persona of a kunoichi was so damaged, bitter, and hurt. "I'll forgive you for being human," the girl murmured, rubbing at her aching temples slowly. "Can we get back to the lesson now?"

"I don't think I have the energy to teach," Suzume muttered quietly, both present realizing it had been a very trying afternoon. "Come by after classes tomorrow. We'll pick up then. Take the scroll home, study it. Bring me an essay on casual contact poisons and how to deliver them."

"Yes, Suzume-sensei."

The woman nodded, standing shakily. After a moment's thought she reached out tenatively, "Naru? For what it's worth... I'm sorry."

Blue eyes looked up, "We are too. Just remember, as long as Konoha is home, I'll protect it. That's why it's important that I'm able to keep those people safe," grinning, the air around the girl chilled suddenly. "After all, without them all I have to fall back on is the Kyuubi, right?"

Suzume closed the door after her new pupil, slumping to the floor against it as she realized just how close she came to catastrophe that afternoon. And she couldn't tell anyone about it.

"I don't think it'll work," Naru spoke quietly, shaking her head.

There was a pause, as the sound of insects pouring out of hell seemed to press in against the silence of her mind. The kitsune's voice slipped around her thoughts like warm silk, dispelling the pressure, _"I think it will be fine. Humans use seals to do jutsu, we simply use will."_

"Dangerous," the girl muttered, face lit by the forge's glare. It had been six months since the news of her guardian's death, and try as she would, her forging was nothing compared to his. She did finally manage to produce blades – they sat against the wall of the workshop, unfinished still – but nothing that would would equate to the late legend's work. "And... you're sure I have to use it?"

_"Nothing is without cost,"_ the Kyuubi intoned, as Naru gazed sadly at the sword Yasugi had left her. Her zanbato, never forgotten, but often neglected while she learned how to use a blade from Yasugi. On the forge, various metals, alloys and components rested, waiting for the coal's heat and the hammer's kiss. She sighed, sitting against the bellows as the sun fell lower outside. She wondered if this would be another night where she turned away and lost her nerve.

Three times she'd come out here with the intent to make the sword Yasugi meant for her. Three times she lost her will to follow through, and simply left the materials to gather dust. Each time she swore to make it work, but fear overwhelmed her. She was no master, and for all her will and determination, it couldn't force a sword to forge itself into perfection. Not that she was having amazing luck with her will and determination making other things work either.

Genin exams were approaching, she knew. The exact time was a secret, something the Academy used to make sure its students didn't try to wait till the last minute to perfect their work. She was doing just that of course, and she was a nervous wreck for it. "Strange, how that worked out," she thought. She was getting trained by an ANBU on how to handle a blade, was using chakra control techniques apparently banned by more than one nation for killing their user, taking advanced kunoichi studies from Suzume but the simple Genin exam tests scared her.

She and Tenten had reached a level of competency with the blades they used to require Yugao to challenge them now, and though the woman won their spars almost always, it was good to push against such an opponent. To their pride, the ANBU estimated that only two others in the village, not counting herself, would give them a challenge in a straight blade fight.

Naru's chakra control under the waterfall had progressed nicely, but still had far to go. There was a cave nearby that she took a number of her belongings to, and often on nights where she knew there was nothing to do on the next day, she'd remain there, working on improving herself. It was almost a second home. Tenten visited, sometimes Yugao, but both respected her privacy there.

She could now perform all but one of the Academy low-level jutsu's without flaw – and that last one was giving her a headache. The Bunshin mocked her, and there was little she could find to make it simply work properly. No matter what direction she took toward it, the same issue was fundamentally wrong with her method.

It was being overpowered, she knew, and that bothered her to no end. It meant she was still not close enough with her personal exercises to make a difference, and she was running out of time. There were stronger control methods in the scroll... but she was scared to use them. She didn't really like the idea of buffering her body against a bonfire or in a blistering sandstorm – not that she could really do that in Fire country anyway.

Suzume's training was even more taxing, if the truth was laid out. Her idea of teaching Naru covert tactics was to make the girl take on part time jobs, then quiz the owners of the shops on how well she did. More often than not, Naru ended up pulling the workload of three people, just to learn all she needed to before being pulled off to another location. In between jobs she was assigned to infiltrate businesses and drop 'markers', invisible chakra tokens that Suzume would watch for. If Naru was successful, then it indicated a completed mission. Failure meant she was sent to provide day-care assistance and do work in the geriatric ward of the hospital. She was quizzed on those as well.

Tonight in fact was her one day off this week, with tomorrow a full day from dawn till midnight with the Academy, greenhouse work with the Yamanaka's, short order chef during the evening rush with the Akamichi's, training with Yugao, then some afternoon chakra exercises to help her sleep. The good news was she was anything but short of money, at least.

"It just feels like cheating," the murmured unhappily, staring over at her beloved zanbato for a long moment. "And I really don't want to lose one of the things he left me."

Buzzing pressed against her skull- _"It's the cost of moving forward. It will cost us both – the chakra needed will drain me heavily, as I am the only one capable of calling it forth. If you put the will and desire into the steel, then I can make it answer."_

Naru ran a hand along the cool flat of her zanbato, "There's no way to avoid destroying it?"

_"I'm afraid not."_

The blonde shook her head, turning away from the weapon. "I just don't know if it's worth it. I can use the zanbato fine – why make the effort to call up a blade that I may not even be able to use?"

She could feel the kitsune smirking, _"You have me, it will serve."_

Naru sighed heavily, her left hand running along the night-dark ingots of rare steel, imported from distant Snow country. "And you're sure that we can do this?"

_"The only way to be more sure, is if I were free and called it myself."_

Steeling herself, Naru nodded. "Alright. Lets get started."

She understood the kitsune's offer well enough – a sacrifice more or less. She would forge the materials that meant so much to her, a legacy from Yasugi along with his gift of the zanbato, and use that as a material link to what she would call. In a way, the youth could see the parallel. She had a summoning scroll after all, unused as it was. She didn't have the control to attempt it yet.

The cost was high, but the kitsune promised it would be worth it. Naru heated the forge by hand, pushing the coals to the melting point, heat blistering her face. "Naru?"

Not bothering to turn, the blonde laughed quietly, "Hey, Ten. What brings you by?"

"Saw the forge-fires burning. What are you doing?"

The blonde paused, before shrugging slightly, "Taking a gamble."

Her friend considered the blonde's posture, the things assembled on the anvils and benches and nodded. "I'll tell Gai the day after tomorrow I was busy. Where do you want me?"

Blue eyes blinked, before curving in a real smile. "Help me get the forge up to temp. I'll start laying out the steel." Without a further word, Tenten took over the massive bellows, as Naru hauled steel ingots to the blistering furnace's mouth. She arranged the different metal hardnesses with a keen eye and attention to their stamped labels, nodding when she was sure the amounts were correct. "I could make a full tachi, or a kodachi," the murmured, Tenten's eyes darting to her thoughtful expression.

_"Will you trust me?" _The kitsune's question was hesitant.

"I already do."

A warmth pulsed from Naru's core, suffusing her. _"Thank you... make a small blade. Like the ones you use with your teacher."_

Naru bit her lip, but nodded. "Why so small? That will waste a lot of material." She missed the curious glance her one-side conversation was getting from her friend.

She could feel the kitsune's playful grin, _"Why do we wear masks, little fox?"_

A laugh bubbled up out of her at that, and she set aside a third of the ingots. "I get the feeling you're going to really enjoy this," she murmured, getting only a husky chuckle in reply.

It was while Naru was taking Tenten's position to give the girl a break from the bellows, that Yugao arrived to check on her ward. Naru just laughed and pointed to a chair, "Gang's all here, huh. Well, sit down and enjoy the show."

The violet-haired woman peered at her work, openly curious, "You're building the sword you guardian left you?"

"Forging... and sort of. There's a trick at the end."

This got Tenten's attention, but before she could ask, Naru had pulled her zanbato up and laid it across a pair of spaced anvils, getting her and their teacher's attention. "Naru? What are you doing? There's nothing wrong with it, is there?"

Smiling ruefully, Naru shook her head. "This is probably the only blade I'll ever forge," the said quietly, taking a breath. "It deserves a bit of myself. The zan' is... me. It's a symbol. Driving though, powering through obstacles. Deceptively cunning, in the right hands."

Her company nodded slowly, while Naru slipped a hand down the cold steel. "Forgive me, Yasugi." Before either of the women could stop her, Naru pushed her chakra though her arm, wincing at the pain of overloaded muscles, but didn't hesitate. The hammer in her hand crashed down, powered by all her will and strength.

Under the blow, it's weight stretched across two anvils at the tip and base, the zanbato shattered.

Yugao was stunned that the girl would willingly destroy the weapon her guardian gave her, while Tenten was overcome by a sick wonder that Naru could actually break the weapon with a single blow.

Naru hid her wince well, her arm numbing badly as the kitsune chided her. _"You're lucky neither of them are Hyuuga. If they could see your chakra now, you'd be in the hospital."_

"That bad?"

_"If the exams are soon, you may be in trouble."_

Sighing, Naru picked up the shards, glittering like glass in the forge's hellish light. They reflected a young woman on the edge of the rest of her life, and oblivion. "Well, if you're here Yugao, may as well make it a full house. Care to get Suzume and the Hokage? Just tell them Naru's fluffy friend has a project. They'll come running," the blonde's brilliant smile conflicted with the paling woman, and Tenten had to wonder what the hell that meant, but was kept from asking by Naru going back into her work mode.

"One day Naru, you're going to tell me what all this is about," the girl hissed, arms straining with the bellows again, while Naru placed pieces of the broken zanbato on the soon to be molten ingots.

The younger girl only smiled at her, "Tonight, if you're lucky."

Time passed, and the heat inside the forge grew. Naru and Tenten were shortly running around in their usual work attire – leather smocks and brief shirts and shorts with heavy shoes, when the rest of Naru's guests arrived. "Hey all, pull up a chair. This'll be either awesome, or really disappointing. I'm not sure which."

If anyone had a question on why the Hokage came at the girl's beckoning, no one voiced it, though they did ask at times what was going on. Naru's only answer to that was a cheery grin and a wink, sometimes followed with a chirped "It's a secret!"

The work went quickly, as within half an hour, even the Hokage decided that helping with the bellows was better than sitting idly by. Fire jutsu's heated the forge quickly, and with a little testing Naru and the Hokage had a good rotation going, where he would heat the coals and she would work. The bellows were being worked by the other three in short shifts, keeping the oxygen pouring into the coals to help purge carbon during the heating.

When the time came, Naru impressed them all with her skill on the anvils, the hammer in her hand large and bulky, but flying and drawing the steel quick and sure. Yugao understood the girl's first chakra exercise then, if she looked up to a smith and wanted to earn his respect by learning his craft. It wasn't a skill that many youths her age could even pretend to understand, and fewer had the strength to work at.

Naru on the other hand worked a hammer too large for her with ease, the sweat on her brow from the heat, not the work. Despite the serene smile that graced her face, more than once her companions stole a look to her eyes, as in the forge's light they seemed too crimson, even for the light reflecting from the hellish coals to cause.

Steel was folded, stretched, shaped, folded again. The weapon's form was clear soon, and Yugao smiled to see it would be a _wakazashi_. Tenten was curious why Naru would destroy her zanbato for such a weapon – after all, they could easily buy one, or many! – but kept silent. Her friend had secrets, and though she respected them, her curiosity got the better of her some days.

The smaller blade didn't take long, and soon they were witness to the setting of the blade's _hamon_, the forge temper line, where clay was applied to slow the cooling while the quench sped it in other parts. This was critical, as critical as the proper set of the different steels. A fast-cooled blade was brittle, and would shatter, where a slow-cooled one would be soft and prey for other blades. The _hamon_ told that the edge was keen, hard, and strong enough to bear it's task.

_ "Now, Naru. Blood the steel and use the seal."_

Naru hissed air between her teeth, knowing this was a time-critical point in the blade's making. No point in putting it off – Taking up the still red-hot but dull blade in a set of tongs, she grinned weakly at the assembled. "Don't interrupt, please," as the final syllable passed her lips, she ran the dull but fiery blade across the underside of her left forearm.

Screaming out as the steel burned then snared her skin, then ripped the soft, abused tissue, Naru bowed over her work. Steel hissed and popped, cooling as her blood wept across it, strong hands trying to pull her away from her task. Clarity came through the pain, in the way of amber eyes, smiling, _"Quickly Naru, the seal."_

"Right," she mumbled drunkenly, shaking the hands off her shoulders. Nothing in her life had hurt this much, and though she knew the Kyuubi would heal it, right now it was all she could do not to curl up around her abused arm and weep. Still, all this would be for nothing if she stopped now.

Steeling herself, Naru lifted up her right hand, "Kuchiyose! Summoning art – _Kogitsune Maru_!" Slamming her palm into the flat of the unfinished _wakazashi_, she felt and saw the orange-gold of the kitsune's chakra boil up across her vision.

Unseen, her companions were pushed back by the force of the combined chakras, watching in expressions from awe to muted horror. "Hokage-sama! What is she doing?!" Suzume's words were drowned out by the roar of what could have been the forge's belly, spilled onto the floor for all appearances. Red and gold flowed over and around the girl as she screamed at the blade, hands smoking but locked around the hot steel.

"If I knew," the old man said quietly, forming a few seals to hopefully mask the blast of powerful chakra. "I would stop her." He knew well enough it would be a veritable beacon, and that this would only complicate things in the future for the girl. He hoped she knew what she was doing. Sarutobi worked to fill the holes hope neglected, regardless.

"She summoning the Kyuubi, oh _Kami_ we have to run-"

Suzume's babbling was cut off as Yugao clamped a hand over the woman's mouth. "Be quiet. She can no more summon the fox than you or I."

Tenten looked between the two, then back to her friend, still wreathed in gold and orange flame. Why did Suzume seem so scared, not that she was any better. She was practically panicking over her friend's state, and only Yugao's hand on her shoulder kept her from pushing the girl off the still cherry-red blade. "She did call it 'little fox'," she murmured almost absently, recalling the name of the summoning Naru had screamed out.

As if Tenten's words were the closing passage of Naru's ritual, the alien chakra died off. With a clatter, the young girl fell to the side, unsupported by the power that had washed through her so recently.

Tenten was the first to her side, pulling her up and into a sitting position, her back against the older girl. "Naru?" Looking down where the Hokage turned the girl's hands over, they saw the angry red of new scars, but no cuts or burns. The skin was fresh and new, and looked tight with rapid healing, but there was little to indicate the wounds they had expected.

Regardless of appearances, Naru shook and twitched, eyes unfocused as pain wracked her form. "W-water," she managed to croak out, shivering in what was obviously chakra-exhaustion.

The Hokage darted to the wall and the cooler there with surprising agility, returning with a cup to ease the young woman as Tenten murmured into her shoulder, berating her for scaring them. "Naru, what were you doing?" Her question got the blonde's attention, and she tilted her head back and smiled.

"Was doin' what Yasugi wanted. Jus' had a li'l help, s'all," eyes fluttering, the girl slipped into unconsciousness, leaning back against her closest friend. Though they looked, none of them could find the blade Naru had pored over, which seemed a bitter end to such a night. None of them knew what she had intended, but nothing seemed a fair guess at worst result.

That did not mean the forge was by any means clean. Pieces of the shattered zanbato littered the floor, along with steel shavings, forge-sparks and soot. Yugao took in the state of all concerned and sighed, "Figures she'd leave us to clean up this mess." The Hokage laughed quietly, shaking his head.

Gathering himself up, the man turned to the three women still awake in the room, "Tonight's... demonstration, as I'm not sure precisely what the results will be, are an S-class secret, from here out at least until we can discern Naru's intent. Not a word to any other."

"Hokage-sama-" Suzume's words were cut short, as the man leveled a glare at her.

"Namida, think about this. She invited you here, knowing your issues. Knowing your bias. She's trying to extend her trust to you. She's already given you quite a bit," the man reminded, causing the usually collected and calm teacher to flinch as if struck. "Take it as it was, not as your fear dictates."

Suzume nodded, looking chagrined, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

At her side, Yugao took her arm and lead her into the Konoha night, cooling their skin rapidly from the forge's heat. "He's right. And for all what she carries seems terrible and frightening, the girl herself is strong. She may not score the best of her generation, but of the lot, only Tenten would I have at my side in a fight."

"I know, I know!" the woman's hands shook, as she crossed them along her body. "I can't help it. It scares me to death, alright? I know I should be better," heaving a sigh, she stilled, working to dredge up her composure. "It's just... that girl. I don't see how she does it."

"I don't think I ever want to know," Yugao quipped, getting her a short bark of a laugh in reply. "Let her worry on the trials of her life. Let us worry on making sure she has something to do with her hands and mind. It's the least we can do."

Suzume nodded, her calm settling like startled leaves in still air. "I know. I'm getting better, really. You should have seen me when she told me-"

"Oh, I was there."

The Chuunin blinked, then stared. "You were there?"

Yugao only nodded, patting the woman on the shoulder. "Be glad you're getting better."

"...yeah."

Inside the house, Tenten settled the girl into the cot reserved for her or Yasugi, when they worked at the forge and were too weary to return home. It seemed so surreal, knowing whatever it was Naru did was almost literally in her own back yard. "You silly, silly thing. What were you trying to do out there?"

Small, quick hands pulled Naru's braids out, laying the mass of blonde hair beside the girl along the cot. The leather smock was already disposed of, and the sweaty, hot underclothes that Naru wore were shortly removed as well. Though she knew no one should bother her, Tenten checked the door, nodding to see it locked.

The small room wasn't much, but she had gotten a large bowl and a towel on her way about the house, and now she went about damping and removing the soot and sweat from her closest friend as she lay shivering and unconscious in her home. "Idiot... hasn't enough gone wrong for you? Why do you keep seeking out trouble?"

Damping the towel again, she swept it across Naru's brow, seeing the girl's troubled expression clearing slightly with it's chill. "No more big surprises. Or at least give me some time to deal with you whipping out weird summonings that we don't recognize. What were you trying to pull anyway?"

A soft knock at the door pulled her attention. She unlocked the door, the Hokage coming in without pause, "Is she awake?"

"Not yet," the girl replied, going back to her post at Naru's side. "Do you know what happened?"

Humming slightly, the old man turned the girl's left arm over, inspecting the new scar there. As expected, it was darkening quickly. "If I had to guess? A summoning that was... turned, in an odd direction." Nodding to himself, the man rose and patted the blonde on the head lightly. "Get well, Naru. You have a big day coming up."

"Exams are soon? What was she thinking," groaning, Tenten resisted the urge to smack her sleeping friend upside the head. "Ugh. Alright. I'll keep an eye on her tonight and if she can make it, I'll send her in tomorrow."

"Sadly I think 'accident while attempting a strange jutsu' does not qualify her for an extension. If at all possible, make sure she at least tries."

"I'll do what I can," Tenten murmured, looking to Naru's sleeping face sadly. "You idiot. Rest while you can, then." Rising, she clicked off the light, turning to leave the room with the Hokage.

Before Sarutobi could leave her home, Tenten tugged at his sleeve, getting the old man's attention. "Yes, Tenten?"

"Could you tell me why Suzume thought Naru could summon the Kyuubi?"

A wry smile quirked the old man's lips. "No, but tell Naru I said to explain. Make sure she knows it's an order. That will be... punishment enough, I think, for tonight's curious happenings."

"Tenten."

The brunette jerked awake, hair loose and trailing down to pool across her shoulders. "Mwah?"

Naru grinned, if tiredly. "Hey you. You have practice this morning?"

Shaking off sleep, Tenten kneeled by her friend and started checking her, despite the blonde's protests. "No, taking the day off. Remember? I told you before you blew up the forge."

The younger girl had the grace to flush and stammer an apology, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it'd do damage to the place, I-"

"You didn't, relax. It just... felt that way." Naru's injuries, while seeming dire the day before when she took them, looked to be healed over already. The only proof they'd been there at all were the scars. Her hands now bore a tight spiral on each palm, similar to one she'd seen in Naru's occasional doodles and detail work for her own gear. Thinking back, Tenten realized it was also on the scroll Yasugi left her.

Those scars were normal, compared to the one on the underside of Naru's left forearm. Over the night it had darkened to a tattoo black, but it was the shape that bothered her. At first, she thought it looked like a clan seal, some kind of forked bar or strange glyph, but then the form, silhouetted as it was, resolved itself... it was a sword. Strangely designed and with very odd taste, but a sword none the less. "Hey, Naru?"  
"Yeah?" Following the brunette's eyes, she hissed in a breath of air on seeing the imprint against her arm. "Uh. Out of curiosity, was there a sword in the workshop when I was done?"

Tenten shook her head slowly, "No, I'm sorry. It's like it disappeared."

"...yeah. Yeah." The blonde reached up, scrubbing a hand through her hair, "Nrrgggg... not what I was planning on."

Weakly, the kitsune made her point apparent as she mumbled around Naru's thoughts. Shaking her head hard, the blonde tried to get up, only to be pushed back into bed by a frowning Tenten. "Hey. Not so fast you. There's some things we need to talk about."

Laying back, Naru realized she was in no state to really argue. "Alright, I guess it's due..."

Tilting her head, Tenten frowned, "Hey, I've not even told you the bad news yet, no sulking."

"Bad news?" Raising a brow, Naru toyed with her hair nervously, playing with the braid as she bound it back up.

Nodding, Tenten sat on Naru's other side, helping her sort her longer hair. "The Hokage told me last night, after you blew yourself up," Naru snorted, but Tenten quieted her with a poke in the side. "Serious here. Your exams are today."

"Oh fuck me," Tenten's hand snapped out, slapping Naru in the back of the head sharply. "Ow! Hey, what the hell?"

"Language," the girl informed her with a smirk. "At least in my parent's home. Don't want to get them out of sorts."

Naru grumbled but nodded. It wasn't polite after all, regardless of how screwed she felt at the moment. "When I pick a day to mess up, I really do a solid job of it, huh." Tenten only nodded, absorbed in braiding the blonde's hair. "Well, maybe with this mild chakra exhaustion I can actually manage some of the Academy techniques without making myself look stupid."

"I'm sure you'll do fine, Naru," the older kunoichi assured, biting her lip slightly. "There is one other thing..."

"More? Wow. I should check my lotto numbers tonight, karma's going to owe me some serious credit."

Hiding her laugh behind a hand, Tenten regarded her friend and smiled. "Leave it to you, to joke on a day like this," Brown eyes met blue and the two laughed a few more moments, before Tenten regained her composure. "The Hokage also told me to tell you... well he phrased it like an order, but I'm not going to push it that far. He said that you should tell me about what's up."

Naru blinked rapidly, having not expected that. Not today, at any rate. "What's up?"

Tenten nodded, "Suzume was freaking out, talking about the Kyuubi. There's been a lot of things that just don't add up, Naru. I'm not the best investigator, but I can tell when there's some huge secret going on in front of me. What's this all about?"

Visibly deflating, Naru fell back against the headboard with a hollow sound. "He made it an order, huh? Well, that wasn't needed, but still." Looking up, she regarded Tenten with tired, old eyes. "Well, I'd ask for a promise that you won't freak out or get strange but I can't really ask for that, and besides... that's just not how you are."

Tenten nodded, a small weight settling in her stomach. Fear, she realized. "Yeah," she replied, lacking anything more to really reply to that with.

"I'm glad you understand," her friend said gravely, before taking the brunette's wrist and flipping her onto the bed, sliding behind and quickly tying the girl loosely in the sheet. "Which is why you'll understand that I'll have to tell you later!" Gathering enough clothing to be decent, the girl waved at her still-struggling friend, "I'll tell you tonight, it's a promise!"

"Damn you Naru! Get back here!"

Dashing past the stunned – likely for her state of barely being dressed – members of the Orikata family, Naru skidded to a halt, before launching herself into the air, dodging some badly aimed kunai. "Ten! Tonight!"

Growling and spitting like a cat, the brunette glared from under her disheveled hair, "Get back down here you, you... Argh!" Tenten threw more kunai, cursing and missing, then getting a belt to the back of her head by the elder Orikata for the same reason as Naru earlier. Naru bounded across rooftops, knowing the girl would have to wait and get dressed first, which would buy her enough time she hoped to get to the Academy. She may be able to outrun the older girl... but it was a solid maybe on good days.

Today the blonde felt like she'd been beaten by Yugao, and not in training. "Hey, Kyuubi?"

A weary grumble was her answer, but there was a sense of sharpening awareness. Finally the captive spirit voiced her thoughts, "_Shut the fuck up already._"

"My aren't we the morning person," Naru laughed, sending a nearby villager scurrying for cover. "And I think that's the first time I've heard you swear."

"_I've had time to practice,_" the grumpy kitsune murmured, her tone regaining some of it's humanity, rather than the course growl it had been. "_That ritual was not the easiest thing in the world to do._"

Naru winced, agreeing wholeheartedly. "So, what happened?"

The kitsune groaned, "_Must you ask things that require thought after such a night?_"

"Yes."

"_I had to be sealed into a _blonde_,_" her captive spat, the last word voiced with the vindictiveness of a curse. "_Fine, fine. I used your chakra to form the ritual focus, then funneled my youki – demon chakra if you want – through you to affect the actual summoning. Once you started it, I essentially finished it_."

Naru hummed slightly. "I have no idea what that means." Her inner landscape was filled suddenly with the calming balm of the Kyuubi's newfound talent in invective, "You ok in there?"

"_Blondes_," the kitsune snapped testily. "_Short version. I made you summon it, because I really don't think you want to contemplate the results of summoning a physical object into a metaphysical space like mine. It just required me to key the ritual, and more power than you could possibly channel to activate – which I supplied._"

"Are all summons so hard?" Naru's mind turned toward the scroll she had yet to activate, her wariness of it increasing.

The Kyuubi snorted daintily, "_No. But you weren't summoning a spiritual being into a physical realm. That's easy – you supply chakra to build it's form, while the creature's mind supplies the blueprint. The scroll is the conduit between you. For this... _

_ "Well, reality got rather fluid there for a few moments, lets leave it at that,_" the demon murmured, and Naru grinned. She was glad the Kyuubi was alright, last night's work worried her with the normally calm and calculating spirit screaming along with her during the summoning's final moments.

That reminded her... "What happened to the sword? I have a suspicion, as I have this neat new tattoo..."

"_Don't activate it,_" the kitsune warned, all pretense of weariness gone. "_The seal was a safeguard, in case we lacked the chakra to finish this. You summoned my blade, but it's dormant, until you can collect the fine control to finish the ritual._"

"Isn't that more work than just leaving it there?"

Naru got the impression that the fox-spirit shrugged, "_In a manner of thinking, but we've already established this was hard. It was easier to reduce the blade to an idea, and set that into a seal than fully transport a physical object permanently between realms._" She supposed, in a sideways, trust-your-source kind of way it made sense. "_When your chakra recovers, you can unseal it_."

"Will it go back into the tattoo when I don't want it?" It was an interesting idea, one she had to look into. Tattooed storage seals had a lot of potential for a ninja.

There was a slight laugh, as the kitsune's presence in her mind dimmed, "_No. One time thing. This was just to get it to you, so small tip? Don't get blood on the tattoo till you're chakra is fully replenished_."

"Or?"

"_You want to have a demon-forged sword ripped out of your arm the hard way?_"

"...you have a point." Sighing, Naru balanced on the edge of a nearby building, overlooking the Academy. "We picked a bad day for this."

She sensed a shrug, "_How long could you put it off?_"

Naru considered that and nodded briefly. "I see your point. But... why are you so tired sounding?" This had been bothering her, as for all her time being in contact with the Kyuubi, it seemed nothing disturbed the serene fox-woman's composure. She only shed that blanketing idea in the face of strong emotions, but this was something wholly different.

"_The seal,_" Kyuubi answered briefly. "_When I expend chakra you don't ask for, it rebounds an equal pressure on me, to stop. So, considering what happened last night..._"

"But I asked," the girl mentally cried out, suddenly horrified.

"_It... doesn't work that way. Since I had to direct it, the intent was mine. Therefor, the seal's defenses activated_," growing quiet, the kitsune's voice tapered off into silence.

Naru let the kitsune be. She had no gauge on her tenant's health... but regardless the young kunoichi felt the spirit had earned some peace and quiet. Bringing her mind back to the moment, she considered the swing outside the Academy, and the few children her age going inside.

Time to see if all her effort had been worth it.

"Alright, the first part of our exams will be taijutsu. I'll call you out in pair, and your instructors will observe you, and grade your performance. Losing does not mean you fail," Iruka called out, his tone mildly bored.

"First group, Choji Akamichi and Kiba Inuzuka."

Naru leaned back, letting her attention falter as the two traded insults before actually fighting one another. Honestly, was she that bad as a boy? Blue eyes strayed to their fighting, as Kiba yelled, having gotten hit fairly solidly in the stomach by the larger boy.

"Match. Back to the line," Mizuki called, dismissing the pair. Naru eyed the man for a moment, recalling her few classes with him. There wasn't much to really remember, as her kunoichi studies course, the Academy one, happened during morning taijutsu. She ended up doing those with Iruka.

What got her attention was that the man seemed... different. He was so laid back and just lazy it seemed, when she was around him. Today he was focused like a lens on them. Naru shook off her suspicions, he was grading them after all. Better he pay attention.

"Ino Yamanaka and Shino Aburame."

She blinked then rolled her eyes. Of course there would be some co-ed pairs. There weren't enough girls, and an odd number to boot.

Naru barely caught the tail end of the set, as it lasted perhaps a minute, and she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to focus. Apparently Ino wasn't fond of insects, as Shino managed to get a few onto her face, which sent the girl into creeping shudders, which allowed him to close and put her in a submission hold. Simple psychological advantage. She made a note to ask Suzume about that kind of tactic later.

"Sasuke Uchiha and Naru Kazami."

Sighing expansively, she stood and moved into the small plot of land. It wasn't surprising, really. Of all the students their year, only she and the Uchiha were 'raw' taijutsu fighters. It seemed nearly everyone else had some family skill or talent, or weren't really on the level they were. Naru shuddered to think what kind of fight the boy would have against someone like Sakura Harano.

Ever the brooding youth, Sasuke stood across from her, impassive and the faintest of glares on his face. Naru considered trying to rile him with a verbal barb, then realized she was frankly too tired to care. Instead, she slitted an eye and yawned expansively, leaving her left side open.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and the boy took the opening readily, either impatient or insulted. Naru hid her grin behind a hand, honestly not caring which. Yugao's training had been comprehensive, and though the blonde lacked any kind of advanced jutsu or bloodline, she was good at reading people. The dark-haired boy's charge told her what she needed.

A leading right snapped past where her head was, and the moment's confusion let her drive an elbow, it's trailing hand braced against the other, into the boy's kidney. Straightening from her crouch, she ducked into a forward roll while the boy recouped himself, only slightly favoring his left side.

Naru settled her smile in place, grinning widely. Perhaps she did know the boy's triggers, it seemed that dismissing him infuriated the Uchiha scion. Again he charged, slower this time and favoring his left side. The blonde knew she wouldn't get another free shot like the last one, having showed her hand so well, and let the other boy's rush go unanswered, ducking away and getting a clipped shoulder for the trouble.

She had to hand it to the Uchiha, he was precise and efficient. Naru bounced back on the balls of her feet, resettling her weight and advancing before he could fully turn. She ducked a wide reverse roundhoouse, but didn't the followup, preferring to take the hit to make an opening.

Chakra burned into her muscles and bones, and Naru realized that she hadn't been using the control exercise at all. This passed in a moment, as the impact pulled her attention back to the now, her arm holding from the less-damaging kick. She made to drop and place a heavy strike to his knee, but Sasuke dropped to his hands, bringing his other leg to bear again.

Cursing her lack of attention, she took another hit, the boy's speed more than she was expecting. Chakra cushioned it, but she felt herself flagging. With a frown, she realized last night's work had yet to be recovered from, and wondered if she should throw the fight on purpose to conserve her reserves.

One look at the boy's dismissive smirk erased that. "I'll fail the jutsu portion before I let someone like that beat me," she vowed silently.

Again she recovered, flipping back once into a crouch. The Uchiha flowed into his stance again, all fluid motion and precise angles. Naru smiled, canines to put any Inuzuka to shame gleaming.

Mentally, she saw her image, a silhouette in gray, turn to a blazing white. Pain arced through her but it was nothing compared to last night, so she didn't even twitch. Along the sidelines she noted the Hyuuga girl flinch, and filed the reaction away for later. Right now there was an Uchiha to beat.

Naru rushed him this time, fully expecting her rush to be met with a brutal counter. She counted on it, in fact. Not one to disappoint, the Uchiha chambered a kick that should have sent her spinning into unconsciousness, but with her chakra-laden body, it only served to bruise him, as she came to an abrupt halt just inside his kick and defenses.

Her foot ground down, as her elbow snapped out, catching him in the stomach. The blow bent him double, the same arm snapping up, the backs of her knuckles bloodying his nose, while the boy tried to drop his weight back into a defensible stance. While he fumbled to draw away, Naru lunged forward, tucking a leg behind his, a normally far too vulnerable lead-in.

This was proved as Sasuke attempted to drive her back, dropping a heavy elbow into her thigh. He didn't know about her, and her accelerated healing though, or how she'd begun working it into her taijutsu. By opening herself to wounds and strikes others would find debilitating, she built openings in their defenses, knowing her body could heal the damage before it accumulated. Sasuke was fast though, and where she expected one strike, he had worked three. She needed to end this.

Naru ignored the searing pain in her leg, as she forced the protesting muscles to execute the end of her strike. Suddenly, she was intimately close to Sasuke, her position snapping forward into the extended leg's reach. He was already throwing his weight to the side in a dodge, as she twisted her torso around, her arm for a moment almost gently caressing his head.

Then she snapped herself taut, and sent the boy slamming face-first into the ground with a dull thud and explosion of dust.

"Match," Mizuki called, the sound oddly dull to the girl, bouncing on one foot as her leg healed from what should have been a fractured femur. Naru cursed the boy's almost idle talent at precision. Limping heavily, she ignored the pointed glares sent her way by a bruised Ino and livid Sakura.

Sitting wearily by a bored looking Shikamaru, Naru pulled a length of bandage out of her pocket to wrap around her leg, not wanting to give everything away. People saw her get hit – she would respond appropriately. "Sasuke's real bad for dismissing people who don't have the last name Uchiha."

Naru glanced over to the lazy boy beside her, seeing him looking up idly. The next match was called, but she didn't bother to watch. "Well, he won't underestimate a girl again at least," she quipped, more to fill the space than add to the other student's argument.

"It's not about you being a girl," Shikamaru said in his slow drawl. "It's about him thinking everyone else is below him. See, now you have a problem."

"Really," eyeing the boy impatiently, she leaned down and shredded through the bandage with her teeth, tying the loose ends together perhaps a bit too roughly. Naru knew her patience was thin today, but why was he getting to her? Best figure this out so she could go back to thinking about how to manage the ninjutsu portion of the test. "What's that?"

The lazy boy spared her a grin, as his name was called. "Troublesome. Well, you see, the problem is... now you're at least on his level.

"He's going to be gunning for you."

Naru blinked as Shikamaru walked away, then began swearing colorfully enough to make the Hyuuga girl blush crimson. Kicking up off the stands she was on, the blonde felt her spirits drop as immediately a pair of black eyes fixed on her. Cursing again, she stalked off, deciding to wait for the ninjitsu exam in the classroom.

Away from Uchiha eyes.

Half an hour passed while she sat, biting back her worry about the ninjutsu exam. It bothered her to no end that this year there would only be two main examinations, not that the number was uncommon. What bothered her had more to do with her own ideals, and those she was being taught.

Ninja, in Naru's mind, had become fantastic powerhouses of jutsu and flashy moves, and less the precise and unerring tools of a military body. Stealth was taught in a secondhand way, by instructing them on jutsu's to do the job – but not how to do so on their own. Perhaps it was a personal gripe, having so little chakra control made it so she focused on those things instead, but it all still felt... wrong.

A taijutsu and multipart ninjutsu exam, determining their Academy status seemed far too indicative of what she was beginning to despise about ninja. A spike of numbness flared through her arm, and Naru let her wandering thoughts recede, as people began filing into the room. She noted a number of those in the first exam were absent, indicating the culling process was already in action. Stifling a laugh, she realized that her quick exit made it seem she assumed her passing that portion. Honestly, she couldn't think of a reason against it, yet there was always the chance.

Suddenly nervous, she tried to pull her mask back into place, only partially succeeding. She eyed Iruka as he took up position before them, noting how he didn't bother to look her way. Pointedly didn't. Damnit... She should have waited, creepy Uchiha or no.

"Next up will be the Substitution Technique test. Here we have our assistant," Iruka gained a few nervous chuckles as she rested an arm across a log, "and you will each be called up to perform the jutsu before the class."

Taking a deep breath, Naru refused to fidget. Instead, she worked to regulate her chakra, pushing and flexing at her control as time wore on.

"Aum... excuse me?"

Whipping around, Naru blinked as there was a flash of white and indigo and a muffled thump where the voice had been. Looking over and behind the row of seats, she noted a spooked looking Hyuuga girl laying there, blinking up at her. "Um. Hi."

"Sorry, you startled me," the girl said by way of apology, sitting and scooting up beside the blonde. After a moment, she fidgeted, before speaking again, "That exercise you do... it's really wasteful."

Mouth drawing into a tight line, Naru had to force herself to look at the girl and smile, albeit slightly. "Oh, is that so?"

Nodding, thinking that Naru's words were an invitation to go on, the Hyuuga continued, "Oh, yes. I can see, you know. Chakra."

"Indeed."

The lavender-eyed girl missed the ice riming Naru's words, "I was going to say... that is, if you want, it's easier to do it a different way."

The chill in Naru's glare lessened, as she blinked slowly. "I... didn't know. That could be-" a flash of worry arced through her, remembering something the Kyuubi had warned her of. Or rather, a family she had warned her of. "Wait. You said you can see... what else do you _see_?"

Her tone wasn't missed this time. Eyes wide, the girl shook her head nervously, "I-I won't tell anyone, I promise! I don't... don't even know what I'd tell if I did." The flinch from the girl let Naru know her glare was doing it's job.

"Be that as it may..."

"Naru Kazami!"  
Pivoting her head to the front of the class, the blonde's stomach did a flip. "This conversation isn't done," she hissed at the Hyuuga, who's eyes widened in response.

As Naru made her way forward, she considered the implications of what was happening. First Yasugi finds out from her, Yugao finds out from the Hokage, then she told Suzume to get training, Tenten's going to have to be told soon, and now there's a shy little Hyuuga girl that may or may not know. So much for secrets, she grumbled quietly.

All those concerns were put aside, as she stared at the log in front of her. "Alright, Naru," Iruka's voice was kind, patient, but expectant. The man really cared about his students, which made this all the harder. Naru really didn't want to fail. "Begin."

On their own, her hands sped through the short series of seals – ram, boar, ox, dog, snake – she felt the tug of chakra to be molded, called out, "_Kawarimi no jutsu_" quietly and _pushed_-

She was viewing the room from a different angle suddenly. "Very good Naru. Step down, please. Next up..."

Still somewhat stunned that she had managed to pull off the technique, Naru woodenly walked up toward her seat. It wasn't till the third poke that she realized the Hyuuga girl was tapping her on the shoulder, "Er, yes?"

"You did very well. Your chakra is expanding again though."

Naru blinked at her owlishly. "What?"

Hinata sighed slightly, cursing her urge to speak to the girl. It was odd to watch her fight so much with her own body, which lead to this whole misguided conversation. "Your chakra is replenishing quickly. I watched you do the exam jutsu, and... well."

"Yes? And?"

"It worked because you were still low from the fight earlier."

Naru mulled over those words quietly, realizing what it meant. She sighed, realizing that her control wasn't improving enough to allow her the tiny trickles of chakra needed to perform those elementary jutsu – at least not while at her normal chakra level. "Thank you," she murmured quietly, contemplating ways to exhaust her chakra before each task, and if it would work. Forgotten once her mind turned to it's task, Hinata shuffled away quietly, though she kept a surreptitious eye on the blonde.

She appreciated the advice, but Naru quickly found the mental exercise of figuring out how to deplete her chakra not only distracting from her focus, but damaging to her tenuous control. Writing it off as something for another day, she waited impatiently for the next exam.

There was a lull while Iruka did some tallying, and in an almost negligent daze, Naru performed the Henge test. Transformations of any sort came as second nature to her, thanks to the Kyuubi's influence, so she used that time to worry on the last and final test.

"Bunshin," she muttered darkly, finding it a suitable word for the bane of her existence.

Her anxiety peaked as her name was called, and with a heavy step the blonde girl walked up to the testing podium. "Alright, three illusion clones. Begin when ready, Naru."

"Right," she said with slight hesitation. Calming her mind, the girl focused on her chakra, and found it low but steady. Refusing to worry on anything else, she performed the handseals, focused her intent, "_Bunshin no jutsu_!"

And stood horrified for a fraction of a second as three, sickly, _male Naruto's_ faded into existence, dispersing almost as quickly as she noted them.

"Er. Naru? What was-"

"I'm feeling rather unwell, Iruka-sensei," she choked out, getting a somewhat curious glance from Mizuki.

Iruka only sighed, raising a brow at her. "If you leave, then you won't pass the exam, Naru. You'll be held back till the next."

She bowed low, loose hair falling forward over her face. Naru's expression was a mask but under it dwelled the maelstrom, and she knew it. "I'm sorry," she murmured, dashing from the room. The exam didn't matter – she could take it again. Her control, the exercises, her performance – none of it mattered, when she was put face to face with the possibility of her secret shattering in such a public way.

There was a persistent hum and buzz in her mind, but she shoved it away as hard as she could, like her thoughts, like her fears. Everything swept and dove around inside her skull and it was driving her mad. Every paranoid moment worrying when the next hateful glare would become something more dangerous, every fearful moment of second guessing her very personality, just to make sure she was _Naru_, and not just _Naruto_ playing at a prank.

"_Hadn't it all started as a prank though_," and annoyingly bright and cheerful voice shot back. She ripped into it with all her substantial hatred, refusing it.

"He's dead, he's _dead_, I'm me, I am _ME_," she railed, unseeing, swaying back and forth on her feet as she ran, hands clasped over her ears and eyes shut. People dove out of her way as she careened down the halls of the Academy, Naru unseeing, uncaring as her flight and need to flee left cracks in the concrete floor.

Sunlight stunned her out of her dead run, blue eyes blinking up and aware. She stood outside, her escape taking her to the side of the Academy that faced the fields beside the Hokage monument. Fall wasn't on them yet, but the small fruit trees, short grasses and gentle winds transfixed her. An impossibly blue sky stretched overhead, waiting to crush her below it's inevitable march.

_ Cicadas nesting in her ears, screaming the calls of the damned-_

Strangling out a scream Naru turned and crashed into a wall, hands clawing at the brick and mortar as her head slammed into it, trying to drive out the noise-

"I am me! I am me!" Her words were a tattoo to the sound of flesh and bone slamming into earthwork, until finally the noise receded and all she could hear was her own labored breathing, strangled, sobbing. Falling back, she stumbled and wondered where the ground went.

She looked up, blue on blue as the sky rotated slowly above her, falling inexorably, patiently. It promised time and reason, in it's way, reliable as a clock in it's intent. Unblinking she waited for it to finally reach her, grind her into dust.

She never woke up gracefully, and doing so in an unfamiliar room only compounded that. Scrambling, hands bunching up the sheet under her, Naru scanned around the white and pale room for what woke her-

Pain erupted along the back of her head and spine, and she halted suddenly with a choked noise, falling back. Quick hands settled her back into the bed, pressing her down as she twitched, pain-reactions causing her muscles to spasm.

"Relax, Naru. You're alright. Calm down, it's just the Academy infirmary."

She didn't nod, didn't try to voice her recognition of the words, but went still suddenly. Breath rasping quiet and rapid, she focused on the voice.

Gray hair, slight smirk, headband, chuunin vest- "M-Mizuki-sensei?"

Nodding, the instructor helped her to some water. "One and only. How are you feeling?"

The cold water eased her back into awareness, and with a sick weight in her stomach she realized how bad things could go, could be. "I'm fine." Looking around the room, she noted the closed doors, pulled blinds... Something wasn't right about this, she thought to herself. That feeling only compounded when the Chuunin turned and locked the room's door. "Mizuki-"

"You're in a dangerous position, Naru," the man offhandedly commented, turning so she could see the hollow smile that didn't reach the man's eyes. "People are beginning to assemble your puzzle."

She tried to keep the fear and defiance out of her eyes, "I have a puzzle," she quipped. "I don't remember-"

"Stop being coy, _U-zu-ma-ki_," Mizuki spoke the last word, _the name_, with a lazy drawl that could have been anything from venom to pride. Pride in what she feared to know. "You think a child – even one as gifted as you at deception could keep something like this from an entire village of ninja?"

Ice wrapped around her heart. "No," she murmured, babbled into her own skull, "It can't end like this. I wasn't careless, only the important people knew, I was careful, I worked hard and was watching, it shouldn't-"

"I see I have your attention now," the man all but purred, sitting on the side of the bed closest to her. Naru scooted away out of impulse, making Mizuki laugh. "Oh, please don't worry. I wouldn't _touch_ you except to make sure we had some privacy for our little talk.

"As I said, you're in a very, very dangerous place." Casually the man pulled a kunai free from his vest, his attention on it a moment. "Not everyone remembers Naruto, of course," as he spoke, the oversized knife's tip idly cleaned under short nails. "Not everyone remembers that the boy was all but favored by the Hokage. Now, considering who you are, and _what_ you are – I'm sure you know by now at least – what do you think will happen when sweet, diligent little Naru Kazami is revealed to be nothing more than a clumsy lie?

"Ninja hate being made fools of, little... girl," Naru shivered, inching away from the man on impulse. "I'm sure you're getting the picture, aren't you?"

She was. If Mizuki exposed the Hokage as an accomplice to what she did, with how much the village hated what she was... Everything she worried on, feared, avoided and ran from would be turned against the old man.

Mizuki wasn't done fueling her worries though, "You see, there's this group – we'll call them Root – that thinks the old man is past his time. Making bad decisions. Messing up Konoha," giving her a significant look, the man smirked. "Letting threats go ignored. Now, a group like that, with you in their hands would do some real good things for Konoha."

A wicked grin lit the man's face. "Like put down that old dog Sarutobi."

Naru made a weak noise, a denial. "Oh. So you don't want him killed like a dog in the street by his beloved, ignorant, mindless village?" She shook her head hard, despite the pain. "Such a loyal little bitch-in-training. Maybe that's why he let you be a girl," the man's laugh was dark, oily, and made her want to bathe more than anything else in the world. She felt dirty just by _hearing_ it.

When the man was done laughing, he turned that hollow smile back to her. "Well then. This is what you must do."

Night lay on Konoha like a thick cloak, to Naru's eyes. A city of ninja, night should have been when they were most comfortable, most active. Perhaps she was an idealist. Perhaps she was just hoping beyond hope someone would stop her before she betrayed the one trust she cherished above her own life.

Hope was futile, and that cloak remained. Sighing, Naru made her way to the Hokage tower, watching for the signs that her way would be clear. The rot around the core of Konoha was deep, she learned that day. It festered around the Hokage himself, leaving openings she would use to do her unpleasant work.

Mizuki had explained it all in detail, how the guards would be remarkably lax, the Hokage called off and away from his offices. Konoha was rejecting it's own diseased core, he had said. Look for the signs, and they'd be there.

They were. ANBU were absent, the usual Chuunin workforce that handled the administrative load were gone. Hokage tower was exposed, and it was all for her sake. Choking down bile at that thought, she made her way quickly, wasting no time.

Idly she was glad of her habits, now, the huge scroll slung over a shoulder by it's attached harness a familiar weight to her. As she was told to expect, no one was there to stop her, no one to see that the Hokage's sanctum was breached.

Weary and sad, Naru sped away from that awful, empty place, pausing on her way to meet the traitor – the other traitor, she quipped mirthlessly – thinking about what it all meant.

_ "What is going on?"_

The kitsune's words startled her, almost making her loose her footing atop the Hokage monument. "Where have you been?"

She felt the impression of a sigh, "_Resting. I'm little more than focused youki and the soul that maintains it. When I use enough..._"

"You need sleep," Naru finished for the Kyuubi, feeling her nod in reply. "Have to say though, you've missed a hell of a day..."

Used to Naru's moods, the kitsune's attention was razor-edged. "_Naru. Tell me, tell me everything_." Rather than trying to converse in their silent rapport, Naru simply opened her mind, pouring the day and it's memories like water across her consciousness. The Kyuubi took the deluge of information, impression, and memory in stride, pausing for long moments as Naru too looked back, trying to find some sense in the madness.

"_He is a canny one_," quiet though her words were, the kitsune was cold, edged ice. "_Naru... you can't trust this_."

"What else can I do? If he's telling the truth-"

"Then those people will move regardless of you. They were waiting for some event, some trigger. You happened to be convenient, but they cannot have built such a thing around you," implacable, the kitsune drove her point home with a surge of confidence, slamming into Naru's already wavering will.

The blonde flinched a the spirit's conviction. "I suppose. But what about now? I don't want to be a part of him getting killed!"

_ "Naru, he's gotten under your skin! Think, girl! What is the Hokage?"_

Blonde brows furrowed, "The... well the best ninja in the village."

The kitsune paused, letting the girl's words sink into her own skull. "_And you think he wouldn't be aware of something like what that snake was telling you?_"

Sliding to her knees against a nearby tree, Naru moaned piteously, "Oh what have I done..."

"_You made a mistake_," gentle words curled around her, warming the young girl's frantic mind, easing it. "_You're young. Barely more than a child_."

"I'm not a child!"

"_Then you need to stop thinking like one_," the Kyuubi's words weren't angry or malicious, but they still stung. "_You aren't a ninja, not one that can stand alone yet. You aren't a child, or an adult, or even truly human anymore. You're standing on the point of a knife, not the edge._

_ "There are more mistakes for you to make, more ways for you to fail than anyone you know. But that doesn't mean you will_," Naru nodded faintly, knowing what the Kyuubi meant. She may have argued the human point, but with the kitsune in her belly, why try. She wasn't a ranked ninja but pitted against any normal opponent and she would appear a whirlwind of death. Despite that, she was only twelve years old, and though she considered herself worldly and without childish needs, she still took comfort in them. Replace teddy bears with swords, coloring books with jutsu scrolls and tag with pitched battles, and there you found her. She was what she was, but that only reinforced her need to be more than what she was given. "_We can make this work, but we need to know more about the why behind it_."

Nodding, Naru felt her resolve growing solid. "Right, I can undo this.

"_We can undo this,_" the kitsune assured her.

The first step was understanding what the scroll held, since whatever Mizuki had planned centered on it. "Alright... this is a... oh it figures there'd be a clone technique in here," the girl spat, looking over the directions balefully. "Kage bunshin. Shadow clones, huh? Doesn't look like much but _kami_ at the warnings..."

"_Dangerous, thereby forbidden,_" the kitsune added. Naru nodded.

"Well, it looks..." she wrinked her nose, "Like a clone technique. Can we move on?" A silent affirmative was her reply. Furling and unrolling more of the heavy scroll, she saw techniques that utilized the earlier clone skill, detailed notes on something called Mokuton that caused the kitsune to growl and hiss in inarticulate hate, and then medical jutsus. She shied away from diagrams on how to remove and replace an eye, feeling her stomach churn.

The kitsune by this point was silent passenger to her search, but Naru could feel her presence, heavy and insistent behind her eyes. "_So, the only link to the things on the scroll, is that they are dangerous, to the user or subject._"

Naru nodded faintly. "Chakra exhaustion for the clone thing, and some drawbacks to the modified clones regarding feedback. Mokuton seems to be unreasonably hard to control without years of practice and something that looks to be talking about a bloodline, and has the drawback of affecting the mind – though I'm not sure why being urged to be one with nature is such a bad thing. Lets... just skip the eye thing-"

"_Bloodline eyes,_" the Kyuubi muttered, putting that portion of scroll into context. "_It's locked away and forbidden because of the clans. They don't want people knowing how to steal such a thing._"

"Hrm, point," Naru agreed, and saw why. Such a thing would cripple Konoha's tactical advantage. "Moving on then," more scroll was revealed, and she saw seals, or rather diagrams for seals. "I... well I'm not great at these. I'll see what I can pick up from the notes."

They pored over it in silence for some time, Naru unfurling more and more and seeing less and less point to the diagrams. Finally they came to the near-end when the kitsune hissed in her ear, "_Stop. I see it now._

_ "The context they were explaining was too vague to understand, _but that one is here." The last words were almost a shout, and Naru clapped her hands over her ears out of impulse. "_These are explained as chakra filtering and containment diagrams, but they're for sealing _beings_ behind them_."

Shaking off the echoes in her ears, Naru paled at the meaning behind those words. "Wait... _here_ as in, with you?"

"_Yes. The last one. Doesn't the second container-residual seal look familiar?_"

Blue eyes scanned the list and then widened. There in ink and silk lay the mirror to the seal on her skin. "Oh... oh wow."

"_It seems your Fourth Hokage missed the fine print,_" the kitsune noted, Naru's eyes lingering there. Apparently these were increasingly complex to get correct – so much so that by the time the seal reached the complexity to bind the Kyuubi, it was almost prohibitive to perform.

A few words, though, caught Naru's eye. "Wait. This... so the seal wasn't so much made wrong, as... oh urk-" turning quickly, she emptied her stomach in convulsions, wishing for all the world to unsee what she just read. Naru panted, her mind rejecting that idea so much that her body could only follow behind. "He... that's why..."

"_The seal isn't wrong. The reason it bound the male aspect is because there's a male aspect built into it. That stupid, stupid human... what did they expect you to be, after all this? And firstborn? You were his _child_?_"

Naru shook her head hard, eyes clamped shut. "Part of his soul is built into the seal. Sick, I can't believe someone would go through all that," the portion of the description that the kitsune focused on hit her then, taking her legs out from beneath her. "First... born?"

"_You were his child_."

"He... my dad did this to me willingly?!" Crawling over, red eyed and panting, Naru scanned the scroll again, hoping the words would twist and turn into something else. To her horror, they remained solid, clear. Mocking her. "That son of a bitch.

"All this time I thought he was something to look up to," Naru ignored the kitsune's murmured words, her anger building in and on itself. "He fucking had to be a hero, and I get to pay the price? Oh this is great – all those goddamn people think he's such an awesome guy, and look! He had to sacrifice his own kid to do this! That's not a hero, thats a fucking coward!"

"_Naru!_" The scream sent the youth scrambling at her ears again, the visible flare of youki and chakra fading. "_Calm down, unless you want every ninja in the village out here before we're ready._"

Eyes wild and panting, Naru nodded slowly, looking at the scroll blankly. Suddenly her attention returned, razor-sharp. "Kyuubi."

"_Yes, little one?_"

"Help me study for a little while."

She could feel the Demon Fox's smile, "_Of course. Education is important._"

_ "I think we should stop. It's nearly time to meet the traitor."_

Naru nodded, rubbing at her eyes. She looked up from the seal portion of the scroll, having spent the last half hour going over it, then deciding to focus on her own seal instead of the others. She had a vague understanding of the lot, but of her own she was beginning to see some potential for work.

Once she was assured it wouldn't kill her or the kitsune outright.

_"It may take years of study to make any of it work. I've... adjusted some youki to contain what you didn't concentrate on,_" the kitsune murmured tiredly. "_Backlash is a vindictive bitch, I must say."_

She winced, realizing that the Kyuubi was working harder than she was. "I can't make any sense of the medical parts. I don't know enough anatomy. Mokuton is a bloodline, by the look, so was a waste of time... the clone technique I memorized but the advanced portions I only skimmed-"

_"I have those. For all that these ninja pride themselves on ninjutsu, I thought an edge of some sort would be helpful."_

"Thank you," the youth replied sincerely. "I guess having looked over the scroll I can see why someone would risk so much. With Mokuton and the sealing diagrams, they could hunt and bind demons into people on a whim. That's somewhat frightening really."

"_Don't forget the medical portion. It looks like most of it dealt with how to transfer or originate bloodlines. True, they were worded in such a way as to suggest an emergency process to save a clan that was dying out, but..._"

"Yeah, I know," Naru replied. "Villages balance each other by their power, and stealing by whatever means the bloodlines of another weakens it. It makes me sort of respect Water country more in a way.

"Yasugi told me how they purged their country of bloodlines, trying to remove that crutch from their ninja." Laughing quietly, Naru finished respooling the scroll. "To think they manage without people like the Hyuuga or Uchiha, and still balance the power of other nations."

The scroll sealed back in it's sling and around her shoulder, Naru considered the deeper night of the forest, recalling the place Mizuki wanted to meet her. "Now all I want to know... is what do we do about him?"

There was a flare of anger from the core of youki inside her, _"My advice? Kill him and lay him out before his masters. Trying to use you has made me... unkind."_

Eyes narrowing, Naru considered her state, and the chances she had of defeating a Chuunin. "I'm not sure I can do that."

_"Probably not alone,"_ the kitsune purred, _"but you're not, now, are you?"_

"Oh. The clone... but I can't get a normal one to work-"

_"A normal one needs a pathetically small amount of chakra. This one... you can brute-force."_

A wicked grin spread across Naru's face, as she sped across the rooftops of Konoha. "Well, it's too bad I don't have my zanbato to go along with it. Speaking of-"

The kitsune chuckled, _"No, little one. You can't unseal it yet. Tomorrow perhaps, but you'll know for certain once this is over. Patience."_

"But... clones with swords!"

_"Quiet. Watch out for that alley."_

"Crap!"

Naru arrived at the heavily wooded training ground with little difficulty. The clearing Mizuki mentioned was empty, but she knew better than to expect it to remain so.

Dropping to the forest floor, she stood at the edge of the moonlight, unsurprised by the Chuunin's form melting out of the surrounding woods. "You are late."

The blonde shrugged, hands tucked into the pockets of her _haori_, "You're impatient. And ugly, but lets not stand around and hurl insults all night."

Mizuki's eyes narrowed angrily. "Quite a mouth for one in such a dangerous-"

"Yeah, ok. You used that line so much in the infirmary, that I have to wonder if you have any new material. Really," Naru pulled up her hands, making wiggly-fingers and crouching a bit. "You are in grave danger, little girl, Ooouuuuhh..." Snorting, she resumed her indolent posture. "Please. Try again."

"You little brat, I had considered letting you live to be shamed by these stupid villagers, but now I think I'll just kill you out of principal."

The blonde laughed quietly, then stiffened. Smiling slowly, she pulled her kitsune mask down, hiding her expression. "So. Kill me huh? All because I'm getting on your nerves. Just out of curiosity... why did you want the scroll so bad?"

Mizuki scoffed, pulling a massive, unfolding shuriken from the holster on his back. Snapping the blades into place with a flick of the weapon, the man regarded her like something unpleasant he stepped in, "That is for my lord to know, and you to die wondering."

Shaking her head, Naru seemed to be conversing with the woods, "Is he serious? I think I heard that line in 'Return of the Returned Ninja: II'," Swinging her gaze back to the man, she laughed. "Are you seriously taking your lines out of movies now?"

Faintly shaking with rage, the man sped across the clearing, launching the shuriken at the halfway point, "lets hear you laugh with your throat cut, bitch!"

"But we've barely started the witty banter exchange part!" Dodging to the side, the blonde, flipped out of the way of a spinning kick, sprinting away as Mizuki snatched his returning shuriken from the air. "C'mon, just a hint! Unless you think I'll actually get away and tell on you," Naru sing-songed the last half of her taunt, leaving a fairly shaking, enraged Chuunin to curse and run after her fleeing form.

"My lord wants what's inside, and he will have it," the man declared, spitting his words angrily. Rather than chase the girl, the man launched a pair of kunai into her path, causing her to rapidly change directions.

The windmill shuriken caught her in midair. "I don't hear... you..." Mizuki trailed off, as the girl's image dispersed with an exhalation of condensed chakra, rather than exploding into a rain of blood like he expected.

"Laughing?" The word was purred practically at his back. Mizuki spun around-

Only to impale his own kidney on a poised kunai, the smaller form ducking easily under his strike, then using his braced leg as a springboard, flipping back. Clutching at his side, the traitor Chuunin stared, unbelieving at the blood on his hand. "You little bitch. I'll kill you."

"Few years late to make that an original, Mizuki-_sensei_," the girl taunted, drawing the title out in obvious mockery. Her mask reflected the moon briefly, the flash causing him to wince. "Now, this lord. Must be a real idiot to send someone like you out in the field."

"Shut up!" Kunai drove the girl back, her years working with Tenten making the man's clumsy throws almost comically easy to dodge. "I've been a plant in the Academy for years, picking students for him to recruit! If you weren't such damaged goods, maybe he'd have use for you even.

"Moving targets are always amusing, after all," having gathered his strength again, the man sped across toward Naru, the massive shuriken in his hand spinning but not thrown. "Now die and be quiet!"

Naru miscalculated the man's speed, only dodging the strike by totally dropping her defense and diving to the ground and left of him. Rolling frantically, she just avoided three savage kicks that would have collapsed her throat or worse, finally stopping to kick up and catch the man's falling foot before it was extended.

With a muffled curse, Mizuki stumbled, snarling. "Just die!" His spinning shuriken was thrown at close range, too hard and fast to avoid. Naru smirked, a handseal locked into place as the weapon struck – and passed through, leaving behind another rapid dispersion of chakra. "What the fuck!?"

Three kunai sped out of the foliage, catching the now defenseless man in the back. Staggering, he spun around, glaring murderously at the shadowed trees. "Show yourself you cowardly whore!"

From every portion of the woods surrounding him, kitsune masks turned, their wearers regarding the bleeding man impassively. "But I am a kunoichi," they chorused, a whisper made into a maddening volume by sheer numbers. "To gaze upon me is death."

"You'll never be a ranked ninja," Mizuki spat, eyes wide as he spun around, looking for some way out. He barely realized the fault in his own thinking, when the desire to kill the girl changed into a desire to escape. "The council will never allow it, not a demon-vessel like you!"

Half the figures turned, disappearing into the foliage, and Mizuki scanned frantically, looking for his exit. "Who's going to tell them? You?" Masked faces laughed at him, mocking. "You think I'll let you leave this place?"

Seeing his chance, the man dashed past a pair of impassively standing girls, identical down to the massive scroll they carried, and their strangely tensed fingers.

"Not even a Genin," the man panted, his eyes wide. "Can't stop m-"

The sky suddenly became his world, a searing pain spreading along his neck, from throat to just above his shoulders. It spun slowly above him, as he blinked, mouth working silently. His view shifted as it seemed that the world sped up below him, a muffled impact causing his view to become chaotic and mad, till it finally settled. He wondered why everything was sideways, distantly.

Mizuki had just began to note the lack of pain from his injuries, when he saw the reason why.

Some distance away, his neck spat blood in a panicked spray, the heart not even aware that it beat uselessly yet. He watched, mouth twitching in mute horror as his body convulsed.

Naru crouched into his field of dimming vision, a length of wire between her fingers, glittering wetly. "Not even a Genin," she agreed, a pale Iruka behind her, a cat-masked ANBU flanking them. "But more than you'll ever be."

Sarutobi stood behind his desk, a strange collection of people present in his office, for such a late hour. His back was turned, as he regarded a number of small, unremarkable picture frames, each one depicting venues around the village he was a part of. Each one seemed to be missing something critical, a focus, a person, some foreground element that a trick of light forgot to paint.

The focus was off, in most. It was as if the picture was taken while running. Still, the backgrounds were of some of the more scenic points in Konoha. One even showed a place near the waterfall Naru recognized as her 'second home' these days.

She looked to those who were also present, the kitsune mask raised up so that it shadowed her eyes. As she had taken to, her expression was locked in it's own mask, a slight curve of lip indicating a smile that left her eyes cold. Iruka was to her left, looking pale and unhappy. She noted the shift in his eyes now and then, telling her his attention moved from the Hokage to her. Regardless, she kept her attention on the Hokage, watching for some sign of his mood or intent.

Unlike Iruka, he would not be read. Or rather... "_you're a few decades too young to try,_" the kitsune offered, helpfully.

"Quiet, you," the blonde shot back.

The cat-masked ANBU, Yugao Uzuki, stood to Iruka's left. Naru knew it was her thanks to long association, familiar with her hair, mannerisms and mask. Normally the woman was the picture of a hardened, career ANBU – no physical tells, no fidgeting – today though she occasionally flexed her right hand, thumb pressing hard against the bones of her finger. The leather of her gloves creaked slightly with the friction and strain, letting her tension be broadcast.

To Naru's right stood Tenten, bedraggled and bemused a she tried to get her hair up in it's customary buns, the atmosphere too tense for her to be still. She divided her attention between Naru and the Hokage, pale and unsure what was going on. More often when she gazed at Naru, her eyes would stray to the hem of her _haori_ and the blood along her sleeves, a rusty counterpoint to the vermilion butterflies that were embroidered there.

Naru didn't know why she was brought with them before the Hokage for certain, but her guess left butterflies in her stomach as well.

Furthest from Naru stood Suzume, cool and self-contained as usual, the only tell to her anxiety the slight shifting of her foot against the hardwood floor. Though she wasn't on Naru's short list of trusted people, the youth knew that Suzume would keep her secrets, and so the common thread among them was built.

These were Naru's precious people, be they close or distant. It somewhat disheartened her to realize they all could stand in this room.

"Tonight's events will not be common knowledge," the old man began, turning to regard the assembled, his wide hat shading his eyes from view. "What the ANBU on scene reports matches the autopsy, and the deep-recovery efforts of the Hunter-nin assigned to determine any further damage."

Pausing, the man turned to Naru, extending a hand. Jolting upright, she panicked a moment till her elbow brushed the scroll, still slung across her back. Hastily shrugging it off, she returned the wound silk to the man, jumping back as if his touch would shock her. "The scroll is forbidden for a reason. Kinjutsu, forbidden techniques, are labeled so for a reason. Naru, I have two reports of you using a skill from this scroll."

"The Kage bunshin," she murmured in answer, eyes cast down.

"Have you read the scroll?"

A hasty conversation, silent to those present commenced. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

The old man raised his head, fixing her with an unreadable eye. "And what reason did you have for that?"

Taking a breath to calm her nerves, Naru explained, "I wanted to know why he was so interested. What it was he could try to pivot such a plot on. I needed to know what to do from that point, whether to simply alert you and ANBU or try to lure him to his superiors or tap him for information."

"Why did you assume to have this responsibility?"

Naru winced, cringing back. "I was the one fooled into beginning this. It was my responsibility because it is my responsibility."

The Hokage considered that a moment, before tipping his hat, his face cast in shadow again. "Iruka. You noted some peculiar things today. Explain, please."

Clearing his throat, the man shot Naru a glance, noting only her stony expression, locked in a slight, wry smile that never reached her eyes. "Right, er. Today during the exams, Naru was doing well, she had performed all three exams up to that point without difficulty, even besting the Uchiha in taijutsu."

The ANBU to his side coughed, voicing her opinion of the young Uchiha eloquently enough. Iruka shot her a glare. "As I was saying," he ground out, turning back to his superior. "Naru did well, then the Bunshin test came. When she attempted it, something went... well wrong."

"Explain, Iruka."

Sighing, the man shot Naru another glance, as if waiting for her to do something. "The clones were... wrong. They looked male, and only partially formed," the man paused, but only to start, then stop his next words a few times. Finally an impatient motion from the Hokage pulled him from his hesitation, "It looked like a former student. Naruto Uzumaki."

"Deceased, not former," Naru corrected him quietly.

There was short, angry motion from the Hokage and Naru winced. "Be still," the man ordered, knowing he needed to say nothing more. Returning his attention to Iruka, the Hokage heaved a sigh. "Was there anything else of note?"

Shifting uncomfortably, the man nodded. "After Naru left the classroom, I paused the test. Mizuki went to check on her, but it took too long.

"I saw him carrying someone into the infirmary, then not coming out. When I got to the door, it was locked."

"And you didn't think this unusual?"

Iruka had the grace to flush in embarrassment, "I had a class full of ninja in training, unsupervised. I was under the impression at that point that Mizuki was as much an instructor as I was."

Sarutobi made a calming motion with a hand, "I'm not calling into question your reaction. Only verifying that his actions at this point were either in line with his persona, or not."

"My apologies, Hokage-sama."

The old man nodded, reaching up to worry at his beard a moment. "Suzume. Your impression of Mizuki?"

"His infiltration was nearly flawless," the woman reported, standing straighter under the Hokage's scrutiny. "There were minor inconsistencies though. He was often found checking records for students not in his classes, watching other teacher's examinations, or other actions that now correlate with Naru's claim that he was 'recruiting' for a third party."

"Waddya mean 'claim'? I had witnesses!"

"Naru. Be silent!"

The blonde's jaw closed with a snap, as she leveled a glare at the old man behind the desk.

"Suzume, collect and copy the records that he had pulled, if they can be recalled. Send them to intelligence. See if there is a pattern."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"ANBU, report."

Uzuki fell into the monotone voice of ANBU mission debriefing, her memory working on automatic through her words, "At twenty-three hundred, ANBU command reported a logistics loss at the Hokage tower. Additional personnel were activated in the event of a breach."

"The cause?"

"Water contamination, two-part poison with a gas-activation. Civilians were hit harder, but there have yet to be fatalities."

The Hokage made a noise, and she continued, "Approximately two hours after the notification from command, I was intercepted by a shadow clone of Naru, requesting aid in stopping Mizuki.

"Recognizing the skill, I informed her to wait, set up a perimeter if possible, and engage the target but to do so verbally. I ordered her to protect the scroll, destroying it if needed to keep it from being taken. I then destroyed the clone."

Sarutobi winced, having wished that Naru not find out about that aspect of the talent for some time. "Very well. And your reason for ordering her to engage Mizuki?"

Yugao straightened. "Confidence in her ability, Hokage-sama."

He leveled a glare that even the shadows across his face couldn't hide at the woman. "An untested Academy student, against a Chuunin?"

"My statement and assessment stand, Hokage-sama," Yugao didn't waver, didn't flinch from the man's gaze. Naru felt her eyes pricking, warmth biting at her them over her teacher's belief in her.

"Very well," the man relented, turning to Naru finally. "Now you may speak, Naru."

Growling slightly the girl stalked forward and wrenched at the old man's hat, shocking or stunning those present. "What are you trying to make this out like a trial for?! I brought the scroll back and handled the traitor!"

To the horror of those present, the tug of war for the Hokage's hat commenced, progressing from grumbled arguments, to full-out wrestling on the floor complete with the occasional yell of 'no biting!' from the old man, or 'not fair! No jutsu!' from Naru. Once the two had settled down, Naru perched on the Hokage's desk wearing the hat while he sat in his chair, panting slightly in exertion with the kitsune mask atop his head, the girl proceeded with her report of the night's events.

"Pretty much like Iruka said, I ran out after the weird Bunshin thing," she began, only to be immediately halted by the mentioned man.

"Why did they look like Naruto?"

Naru reached up, settling the wide hat in a move so perfectly mimicking the Hokage that even Yugao twitched, restraining a snicker. "I'll get into that in due time, instructor Iruka."

"Sorry, Hoka – hey!"

Smirking, the girl continued, "After that... I kinda had a breakdown. I think I tried to redecorate the wall with my forehead, not sure." Ignoring the concerned looks she was getting, Naru tapped her chin, mimicking the Hokage again. "I woke up in the infirmary, and got to hear Mizuki talking about this thing called 'Root' that thinks the old man isn't doing his job or something-"

"'Root'? Are you certain?"

Naru blinked at the old man's tone, not used to him being so focused, at least not with worry, "Yeah. That was the name. Anyway, he told me unless I wanted him and Root to expose my secret and by doing so, discredit you publicly, I was to do this. He told me that the lack of security showed that Root was even in the ANBU, which... had me doubting after I got inside. I was beginning to believe him.

"I got the scroll, then..." voice trailing off, she glanced at Tenten furtively, sighing. "I um. Talked, with my... _friend_. She convinced me to rethink things."

"Naru, please just speak plainly. Everyone will save their questions till after," the Hokage's last words were less a reassurance to her, as an order to the room.

Naru understood his meaning, but still sighed, deciding this was not how she meant to tell her best friend. "The Kyuubi and I came to the conclusion that since you were the Hokage, a thing like Root wouldn't be a secret. You know, being the best ninja in town and all..."

"I don't see it that way, but I'm flattered by your opinion. And yes, I know of Root. Continue."

Nodding to the Hokage, Naru did so, "We decided to check the scroll, to see if we could figure out what he wanted it for. Um, seeing what was in it, and knowing first-hand about some of it, we decided it would be bad to even let him have it, even just to bait him, or make the whole thing more obviously show his hand in it."

Iruka jerked to attention at that. "You considered giving a Kinjutsu scroll to him, just to cement his apparent guilt?"

Naru stared at the man levelly for a long moment from below the wide hat. "Yes." Turning back to the Hokage, she went on, "As I said, seeing what was in it, it was obvious there was no way it should leave the village. So, I made a single clone, more of a test really, and sent it to a familiar ANBU to report what was going on.

"After that, it was a little game of wait and see, while I used another clone to bait and antagonize him. This is when I got the reply from ANBU popping the clone."

Looking around for a moment, Naru grinned and took a drink of water from a cup on the Hokage's desk. "Ahh. Ok, so. Right, then I thought, 'Perimeter huh?' and remembering what the scroll said about chakra use and limitations on the Kage bunshin, I made about twenty to stand around and make sure Mizuki didn't slip through."

"Twenty? Aren't you exaggerating?"

Naru blinked at Suzume owlishly, before snapping out the handseals, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

The Hokage's office was filled, floor to ceiling in grumbling, off-balance and sometimes upside down Naru clones, all wearing wide hats and trying to figure out how to fit in the room at once. Somewhere in explosion of young girls, the Hokage's voice was heard, "Dismiss them! You've made your point!"

With a massive eruption of chakra, the room cleared leaving the audience in a state of shock, those still standing losing their balance after having recently been fighting with a mob of Naru's for space, and one rather content blonde smirking at the lot. "Ok, so I set up a perimeter...

"Mizuki wasn't too forthcoming with information. He was more for the cheesy snide remarks, rather than the villainous monologuing."

Tenten boggled at her. "You mean, this guy who tried to kill you... you goaded him, trying to get him into a... villainous monologue? Like, spilling his secrets so you could undo them all? That bad movie device?"

Reaching up and scratching at her neck nervously, Naru nodded.

"Your problem was, that only works with nemesis types. Mizuki was more of a bit-villain," Tenten explained.

Naru slammed a fist into her open hand. "Right! I totally forgot that. No wonder he was getting so frustrated!"

"You actually... wait. That doesn't work in real life!" Iruka's face was turning a shade of red to match Naru's _haori_, while the Hokage shook his head, muttering something about being too old for this kind of thing.

"Not with bit-villains, no," Naru agreed, ignoring the bulk of Iruka's argument. "Well, after swapping out with some clones to dodge his stupidly-large shuriken thing, I got another message via popped clone that ANBU was there with backup, and that if I could handle him, to do so.

"I broke the perimeter to give him an opening, and had two clones hide behind trees, ready with wire I had dropped to them. Mizuki was mid jump, probably aiming for the tree canopy when they snapped it taut. The force popped them, but they popped Mizuki," She finished, concluding her story with a yawn.

Those assembled took a moment to process Naru's words. Reactions were varied, as she looked from face to face. She couldn't see Yugao's face, but the mask nodded to her once, in approval. Iruka was still struggling through Mizuki's betrayal, as well as the Naruto issue and reconciling the man's death to her. Tenten was quietly pensive, but Naru knew she'd be up for some time fixing all the things that were broken between them. If they could be. Suzume was as unreadable as ever, somehow turning so the room's lights reflected off her glasses, giving nothing away.

The Hokage was grim but not negatively so. He seemed more resigned she had to take the actions she did, rather than what she did. "Very well. I will explain things to Iruka, as I imagine you'll be occupied with your friend doing the same."

"Yes," Tenten ground out, looking to Naru and daring her to disagree, "she will."

Reaching down into his desk, he pulled out a small case. "I believe, in light of you learning a clone technique as required by the Academy on the day of the exams, this should go to you, Naru."

Taking up the small box, Naru grinned brightly when inside a Leaf hiate-te was revealed. "Yes!" Pumping her arm in the air, the youth giggled and curled around her new badge of acceptance. She was a ranked ninja! Finally, she was on her way!

The others congratulated her, Tenten beaming happily at her friend's good fortune. Shortly the meeting wound down, all the loose ends that could be tied up with Mizuki's actions being set aside, leaving six weary individuals. Naru yawned cavernously, earning a chuckle from Sarutobi.

Nodding, the Hokage stood, as did Naru. "I'll inform the Academy. The time it will take to scour records and look for any traces should take a day. Convenient, as I find it would likely be very taxing to begin working with the Genin teams after so little rest, don't you agree, Iruka?"

The man shook his head, smiling slightly, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Very well. I think that's all then."

Everyone began shuffling out, finally noting the time. It didn't seem like it had been so long to Naru, but it appeared like dawn was beginning to color the sky. Perhaps a day off would be good...

"Naru?"

Turning, she and Tenten halted, the others just outside the Hokage's chamber. "Hmm?"

The man gave her a droll look. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

A slow smile crept along Naru's features. "Nope."

"My hat..."

Naru reached up, hanging on to the wide brim with both hands, dashing down the corridor, the Sandaime Hokage on her heels. "You've got mine, it's a fair trade!"

"Come back here!"

A small explosion rocked that side of the tower, followed by a shrill scream, "No jutsu's, Old man!"

Muffled growling followed, punctuated by a low howl of pain. "Stop biting you little brat!"

Tenten looked to Yugao, blinking, "I'm going home. Then I'm going to sleep. And when I wake up, the world will be normal again."

The ANBU laid a hand on her shoulder, as the two walked down to the ground floor. "No, Tenten, I'm afraid it won't. Not as long as Naru is around."

"Alright, first off let me sa-OW! Damnit, Ten," Naru ducked another kunai, thrown so that its ring would slam into her forehead. She figured one was sufficient, "What the hell?"

Tenten actually glared at her, not the mock narrowing of eyes with a glint of smile, "What? You have to ask? You come to my family's forge, blow yourself up, run off before I know you're ok..." Making a frustrated noise, she ripped the ties out of her hair, letting her buns unfurl. Naru blanched, knowing this sign well.

Her friend was genuinely pissed off.

"Then, _then_! You go missing all afternoon after I hear about this weird test thing, though trust me – we _will_ get back to that – and then I'm called before the Hokage, and you're clothes are all bloody!

"And then! I have to sit through some weird lecture about the Kyuubi – what the blazing hell that has to do with you I'm worried about by the way, so don't even try to avoid it – and you having to break into the Hokage tower and then kill a Chuunin?!" Panting, Tenten snatched up random things off her table and started throwing them at Naru, haphazardly, "Damnit! I'm your friend! Why don't you talk to me!?"

Naru winced, shamefaced, stalling the older girl's anger. Sitting heavily, she ignored the rising bruises on her arms and the few scrapes she had from Tenten's tantrum. "I'm scared.

"I've worked so hard to build up this..." tugging at her hair, Naru ripped the coiled bun loose, letting her hair fall like Tenten had, though the meaning was different. "I didn't mean for today to go so wrong. I really didn't. I thought I'd just... pass the exam, come back home and then maybe have some ramen and celebrate."

Tenten sat the the head of her bed, watching her friend carefully. She'd not seen the blonde's mask crack so badly for some time. "What was all that about? You know me. Just tell me, I can take it."

"I'm just not sure I can," Naru murmured unhappily. "Do you remember, when you were little, how it didn't seem to matter if your friends were boys or girls?"

"Well, yeah," shuffling uncomfortably, Tenten squashed all her insecurities over her tomboyism. Such things were below kunoichi.

Naru spared her a little grin, knowing what she was thinking. "Well, I've had to think about that a lot. About how when you're really young, being a boy or girl doesn't seem to matter much. It just is."

Snippets of the conversation earlier that day replayed in Tenten's mind, causing her to frown. "This has something to do with that Naruto kid doesn't it?"

"Everything, nothing... yeah. Do you remember him?"

Tenten shrugged, nodding slightly, "Yeah. We both were in the orphanage a little while together. The Matron... I guess looking back on it now, things were bad." Wincing a bit, she paled, a few of the memories returning with their grim weight. "Really bad."

Naru smiled tightly. "You've had a pretty good life. What would you do, put in his place to change things?"

Her friend turned suddenly wary eyes to her. "Naru... what do you mean?"

The blonde shrugged slightly, turning so Tenten could fully see her face. Ever so slowly, the six marks she could never really hide except with the kitsune's help scratched their way across her cheeks. "When he was six, Naruto got the chance to undo it all. Remake himself into something else, to have a chance to live. He took it."

"You... you're Naruto?"

Nodding slowly, the jinchuriki kicked her feet nervously, "What they never told people our age, but all the older people knew, was that the Yondaime never killed the Kyuubi. Just sealed it away. Sealed it in Naruto.

"That's why people hated him. Hated me. The Kyuubi was a girl, and well... the Fourth wasn't as smart as everyone thinks he was. I was going to have... problems. If things stood as they were."

Unsure what or even for that matter how to think, Tenten shook her head hard, staring down at her hands, unseeing. "So this is like some illusion?"

"Illusions don't bleed. I've been this way since I was six, Tenten. Naru is who I am now. It just happened that I woke up a six year old."

"But you're a boy!"

Naru turned angry blue eyes on her longest held friend. "Really? When did you decide when those lines became permanent? When it wasn't just 'my friends' it was 'those boys' and 'those girls'? It wasn't more than just words back then."

Eyes shut hard, Tenten shook her head again, "But-"

"But nothing! You can't hold Naruto against me, Tenten! I killed him, buried him, watched this town fucking celebrate it! He's dead! I'm not him!"

Stunned by the anger practically seeting off Naru, Tenten scooted back, only stopping when the wall crashed against her back. "Who are you?"

"I'm Naru. I've been Naru. I'll be Naru till I die! This isn't like a... game or an act. For fuck's sake I have training bra's Tenten!"

Laughing, if somewhat hysterically, the brunette nodded, "Yeah, we got them together. Oh, this is just... hard to deal with." Paling, the girl seemed to suddenly recall the other half of Naru's tale, "Wait. Kyuubi?"

Nodding, Naru settled back, looking far too tired for her twelve years. "Yeah. Not that it's what people thought, but yes. The Kyuubi. Tenten, I really need you as my friend."

"Naru, it's just... so many lies..."

"I'm not a lie, Tenten. I am an orphan. My parents, as far as even I know, were killed in the attack," she didn't bother to elaborate on this, there was no need to drop more on her friend. Besides... even if the Yondaime was her father, she was becoming less and less enamored to the idea. "I didn't tell you about the Kyuubi because... well remember what I had to run from last time. Can you imagine having your entire village hate you? Try to kill you on your birthday? Celebrate each injury, and then have a festival on your apparent death? Now, you tell me why I'd go back to that. That's why you didn't know. That's why I don't go back, or flaunt this."

"I never knew... Naru. I'm sorry."

"I don't want your sympathy, Ten, I just want my friend," scooting a bit closer, Naru hazarded a small smile. "I hate thinking about all this. It's over, done with to me. But... well some things have come up. Stupid old man decided I had to tell you everything, but I was going to tell you about the Kyuubi anyway. The thing about Naruto... well." Shrugging a bit, she seemed to dismiss the idea. "He's the past. I'm the now. Kohona's the future. I can't keep looking back."

Tenten nodded, thoughtful. "So all those people knew?"

"Sort of," Naru agreed, brow furrowed. "Iruka didn't. But the stupid Bunshin exam probably tipped him off. Mizuki said... well he hinted that I'm not so good at this, so maybe others do too. I'm not sure why they'd care. As far as I'm concerned, they had their vengeance."

That made Tenten feel a little better. She hated being the last to know, but considering only adults and the Hokage himself was there, she could guess this went above simple secrets. "I guess. Why Suzume-sensei?"

"To get better. I'm just a kid, it's all luck and the Kyuubi I wasn't caught already."

"Kyuubi... I just can't imagine you and _it_..." Trailing off, she blinked as Naru laughed quietly.

Grinning her honest grin, Naru leaned back, bracing her weight on her arms. "Her. The Kyuubi's a her. And that's part of why this happened. Our chakra was going all wrong, but not so bad at the time. If I hit puberty with her pumping chakra through my coils of a wrong alignment though..."

"Oh wow," Tenten blinked, recalling their academy lessons on diseases caused by Jutsu attacks that affected such balances. They were rare, forbidden, and dangerous, mostly because they could only be tested on living things, and invariably the subject died. "Yeah, I see why a girl then. Was it hard?"

"Like I said, it was before I had any real gender identity. Honestly it affected how I dressed more than anything else," she quipped, only to have the other girl start laughing raucously. "What?"

"Well, not that orange was a good color on anyone."

"I'm still sore about that you know! I had to give it up," Growling, the girl flopped backwards, smiling despite her tone. The smile grew when Tenten padded beside her, laying as they were prone to do so some days.

The brunette swept her hair back behind her, as Naru turned, offering her arm. Tenten settled her temple against it, curled up despite their height difference against the blonde's collarbone. "You're ok though? All this, and tonight?"

Naru nodded, her breaths full of the scent of Tenten's hair. "Yeah. I'm ok. Just... scared, here and there. About you, mostly."

"And Mizuki... You seemed so cold about killing him."

Naru couldn't stop the small shudder that ran through her. "It was him or me, in the end. If things went how he planned... I think I would have ended up either dead or... well worse. The scroll wasn't very nice.

"I... don't think I am dealing with it. I mean I know, in my head that he's dead. That it's my fault, and that maybe there was a way to handle that to avoid killing him." Taking a shaky breath, the shorter girl pulled her companion closer, sheltering herself from the memory. "There's... this cold place. It's like I lost something with him."

"Innocence?"

Naru laughed, quietly, mirthlessly. "Didn't think there was much of that left in me." Another shudder sped through the shorter girl, and Tenten's arms wrapped around her small frame. "I don't know. It's like I wasn't really there, and was all at once. I can't tell if it's muddled because of the Kage bunshin or because I'm just... numb still."

Nodding, Tenten kicked her nightstand, upsetting the lamp and causing it to fall with a clatter of shade and breaking glass. The shattered bulb left the room dark, quiet, peaceful. "When you want to talk about it, just let me know. I'll be here."

"I know. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Face tucked into her arms, Naru managed to avoid most of the questions aimed her way, offering only tired mumbles in answer to the few persistent enough to deal with her lack of response. Out of her class, she seemed the least excited to be there, but it was only the appearance of apathy on her part. _"Your own fault for rushing things,"_ the kitsune reminded her, smugness practically dripping from her words.

Not quite grasping the finer basics of their mental rapport yet, Naru growled at the smirking spirit, burrowing further into her arms. "Yes, yes. I had to draw out the _Kogitsune-maru_, and yes this is all my fault, thank you for restating the obvious."

_"The blade itself wouldn't have exhausted you. I believe it may have had something to do with those exercises and sealing etchings you spent the last day working on..."_

Naru winced at the memory. Yesterday had been a good day – she and Tenten had spent their morning till the older kunoichi was due to team training just chatting, something they'd had little chance for recently. After their relaxed morning, it was time for her to finish something she'd been waiting for though.

The _Kogitsune-maru_, it's trace tattooed onto her left forearm had itched at her mind since the morning Naru had woken with it's mark. She'd finally activated the seal and though it had taxed her heavily, retrieved the blade Kyuubi had helped her summon. To say it had been an exhausting experience to draw a weapon comparable to her broken zanbato from a cloud of dispersed ink from her arm would be an understatement, but at least it wasn't as bad as the forging used to summon it.

That said... "I still don't get why you'd put me through all the trouble to summon a sword with no edge," the blonde griped. For a zanbato, it was a fine piece of work, except for that one flaw. It was similar to her previous zanbato in a number of ways, size and weight being two. The grip was the length of her forearm, and it's length standing from grip to tip was taller than she was, though Naru felt that would change in a few years. The similarities ended there however. Unlike her last sword, the Kogitsune was symmetric, not the single-edged design favored in the Element nations. That would have been a problem, as she was prone to carrying her weapon on her shoulder, except for the lack of an edge.

Another difference, one she found pleasing in fact, was the blade's color. Though it was not usually something she'd consider, the size of a zanbato made them little more than massive targets, unless there was some effort made to mask their finish to reduce reflection. The Kogitsune was a matte black, perfect for her chosen vocation. The only marring to that was an intricate etching in gold along it's length, the patterns either a twisting vine or stylized flame – she wasn't sure. Its blade joined the grip at a seat of the same metal underlying the wrappings, a dark and lusterless sort she wasn't sure of. From that, the blade which was the width of her hand's span from thumb to little finger, sat flush. There was no _tsuba_ or crosspiece, only that metal seat. Other than those defining features, the weapon was simple – two edges, if dull, the grip with its tightly spun silk grip over that same dark metal, and the blade itself which tapered very slightly till it ended in an arch she could easily see resting her hands on.

_"It has an edge,"_ the kitsune replied, breaking Naru from her musing. _"You are it's edge. When you begin to understand your chakra's nature, the blade can focus it, giving you a more familiar blade."_

With a mental sigh, Naru let the issue drop. Naru knew all the aggravation she felt was due to frustration, after all the build up for finally having used her late guardian's materials in a blade he would be proud of, she couldn't use it. In her hands, even an unsharpened blade would be deadly, but the problem lay with the thing's balance and form. It was different from her previous zanbato in enough ways to make her need to relearn the weapon almost entirely.

Which was why she was so tired, at least partially. _"You did decide to seal it,"_ she was reminded by the Kyuubi. The demon's words were true, and she'd harassed Tenten endlessly the previous night to see her storage scroll instructions. Finally they had found a workable solution, a kind of substitution seal usually used on courier missions in hostile territory. It was a simple thing, often overlooked really. It's purpose was to swap one item for another, of similar form or function. It was inefficient, chakra intensive and crude, but it worked nicely.

Etched into the zanbato's grip under the silk, the seal exchanged the weapon for the _wakazashi_ she forged, which she spent the rest of last night finishing. The chakra and odd circumstances surrounding it's making left it looking like the mate to the zanbato – albeit a very, very small one in comparison. Still, it comforted Naru having a functional blade she was trained for in her hands. Yugao was quietly pleased that she chose the weapon the ANBU had been training her in as it's sealed form. She was even more pleased to see Naru up late, practicing and familiarizing herself with both weapons.

Naru wasn't one to let the training go to waste, or waste the advantage of an unaware opponent. When a fight that she could use the zanbato to it's best advantage came, she would summon it. Until then, it's mated short-blade would be what she wore publicly, though it had garnered her some curious glances around the room as she arrived.

She was so far into her tired musing that she missed the first two times someone called her name. Or, rather, _a_ name, "Hey, dobe!" Her growl earlier must have drawn attention to herself despite her self-enforced solitude. Quietly cursing that family and their ears, Naru looked up. Of course, it would be the loud-mouthed Inuzuka that broke into her blissful quiet, "Oh, the bitch lives."

"Unfortunate for you," she snarled back, mouth twisting into an unpleasant grin. "Got something to say, you sad excuse for a coughed up hairball?"

Kiba bristled angrily, "Yeah, how did a pathetic loser like you manage to pass when you failed even making Bunshin?" With a sudden leer the Inuzuka elbowed his constant companion, another boy that looked either to be a distant cousin or other relation. "Maybe she earned it on her knees."

She may not have been as precise as the Uchiha, or have the control of others her gender seemed to just be born with, but Naru had speed and power in excess. Snapping out a hand, she grabbed the mouthy boy by his collar and pulled him sharply down to her level, cracking his chin on the edge of her desk. "Listen runt. I'm not in the mood today. So unless you want me leaving you just alive enough for your more talented sister to stitch back together, piss off."

That seemed to hit about five of Kiba's buttons, usually something Naru avoided as she really didn't enjoy riling up the confrontational boy. He was easy enough to wind up, but she and Tenten did still use the woods near their clan grounds for their practices, so good relations were a must. Today, she simply didn't have the energy to give a damn, though, and it seemed that Kiba was picking up on it, "Why you-"

The boy's words tailed off, as Naru pushed up her mask, eyes flaring like coals. A terse warning from the kitsune cooled her temper before she did something rash, though her mouth was less inclined to obey, "-put up with this?" Leaning close, she bared fangs superior to his own, "Because you're not worth the effort to exterminate."

Unseen, the two quarreling Genin had an observer. "Y-you two shouldn't fight." Two pairs of angry eyes snapped to the speaker, causing the normally subdued Hinata to meep and bounce back on her heels, "You may end up on a t-team together. It w-would be bad to be so antagonistic before you know."

Naru's eyes narrowed, and she pushed her kitsune mask back further, easing the angle she needed to peer up at the standing Hyuuga. "That's alright. Don't mind us, we're just getting Kiba's pack order sorted before then, just in case."

Glaring daggers, the boy made to stand back up and probably strike at the blonde but Naru kicked out, catching his ankle as he stood. The resulting loss of balance sent him tumbling down the small rise of stairs, yapping puppy right beside. It was a dirty move, but she didn't care, not today.

With a sigh at the spectacle, the pale girl sat one space away and busied herself observing their classmates. Naru studiously ignored her, until Hinata broke the uneasy silence, "Why d-do you pick on them?"

Blinking at the quiet question, Naru had to run it though her mind twice more before she could trust her ears to have heard correctly, "Excuse me?"

The Hyuuga met her eyes, cooled back to blue, "You always seem ready to fight. It's no secret you hate the large clans, either. Why?"

She solidly refused to answer the last question, opting rather for the first. "I'm ready to fight because I am a _kunoichi_. Perhaps you've heard of them?"

Hinata flinched visibly from the girl's acidic tone, but didn't relent, "What happened?"

Naru waited a beat, "What do you mean?"

With a muted sigh, the Hyuuga girl moved again, closer so she could cast her voice to a whisper as sat in the seat beside the volatile blonde. "For the last week of classes you've been tense. Then, at the exam you were hot and cold calm or anxious. You f-failed your Bunshin test, but you're here, proving you passed somehow," she swallowed nervously but continued, refusing to back away from the glaring girl beside her. "Why aren't you happy?"

Staring at the pale-eyed girl as if she had suddenly sprouted wings and began singing, Naru simply sat, letting her gaze disturb the other young woman. Finally, after nearly a minute of such scrutiny, she relaxed her posture, "Look. I don't really want to know how or why you can read me like that. I should, but frankly, I don't have enough damn to give today." Rubbing at her temple idly, Naru leaned back in her seat, weariness falling over her like a cloak. "I'm just exhausted. In every way you can be. It makes me testy and short, and that's about all you need to know."

Hinata's lips pursed, but she didn't relent in her pursuit, "You didn't answer my question though."

"Funny, I thought I did."

"Why do you hate us?"

Naru's eyes snapped to the quiet girl, causing her to flinch, "Have a care, I don't think you'd understand, and there's not enough patience in me to make you."

Seeing that Naru had no intention of answering, Hinata sketched a slight bow, rising to walk away without another word.

"Testy and short indeed."

"I'm really not in the mood for this today..." Naru groaned, letting her mind go still and hopefully with it her passenger.

It was not to last. "You know, the pale-eyed one has a point. It's my grudge to bear – why do you take such pains to torment them?"

Naru gazed out at the classroom, easily picking out those that she considered her most common prey, for when those impulses rose. Kiba, because his clan said it was good that someone could push him off his pedestal. Choji she picked because of his family's talents, which she thought seemed contrary to a ninja's way. Sasuke, because for as long as she could remember, the Uchiha were the favored clan of Kohona, running the Military Police since she was younger. After their massacre, it seemed that the village as a whole adopted the boy, something she tried but failed not to feel jealousy over. Others were less important or didn't deserve her ire... Hinata could have easily made that list, if the girl had been more than a shadow. It was well known that the Hyuuga were practically shinobi royalty. It made her wonder how relations with the Daimyo's court went, if one were sent. Images of stuffy royals and pale-eyed ninja bowing endlessly to one another caused her to snort in amusement, getting her a few nervous looks from those nearby.

The fact that she had time to think of this was beginning to sink in, and as if summoned, their instructor made an appearance, quieting everyone there as he scanned the seats with a baleful eye. "...good morning, please have a seat, and we'll begin." Despite the day of downtime that the Hokage gave them all, Naru felt that Iruka seemed to be a kindred spirit. He seemed to feel as bad as she did, if his tone was any indication. "Today you will be sorted into your teams.

"As Genin, your responsibility is to Konoha and Fire country. Missions will be given based on team performance and ability, and as untested ninja, these will not be glamorous. In fact, most will be what many of you would consider petty and insignificant." With a grim look, the man swept their numbers, meeting eyes as he went. "That's fine, as in the greater scheme of things, that's precisely what you are.

"Your time as Genin can be considered the field portion of your Academy lessons," the scarred man continued, sitting and flipping though some forms as he spoke. "Your Jounin teachers will instruct you in practical stealth, tactics, and how to work in the command structure. Failure to learn those lessons will restrict your future growth. This will be your last warning."

Standing again, the man leaned back against his desk and considered them, forms in hand. "Does anyone have any questions?"

"How are teams set up?"

Iruka's head swiveled to fix on the speaker, nodding slowly. "Good question. Typically Konoha teams were picked to give an even spread of abilities, though we've had success with more focused skill sets as well.

"There will be a variation in skills and abilities in each team, based on your Academy scores. Another trend as far as teams go, is to have two strong and one weak performer grouped. There is also the common practice to spread the kunoichi candidates as evenly as possible."

Naru narrowed her eyes at that, but considered it logically before blurting out a question. "Why I wonder?"

The Kyuubi turned her attention to Naru's thoughts, considering it with her, _"Perhaps it's to encourage the mating instinct?"_

Blushing slightly, Naru pushed that idea away fiercely, "What the hell?"

_"Team mates risking life and limb for one another, growing, living, killing together. Consider it, little one. Perhaps they wish to capitalize on your youth, before you die and leave it to the worms,"_ though amused, the kitsune's voice held a thread of suspicion in its tone.

Thinking on it while Iruka went on about their grading curve, Naru thought that perhaps the Kyuubi did have a point. Shinobi death rates weren't low, and if all the clans put forth their strongest to be active ninja... _"I just hope whoever we get won't assume the same thing,"_ she murmured to her passenger, getting a slight chuckle in response.

"Alright. Teams currently are as follows," the man called out, silencing the murmurs spreading across the room. "Please move to the first name called, and wait for your Jounin to collect you."

"Team Four, Hiroshi Akagi..." Naru tuned the man out, her ear only half on his words as the teams continued to be called out. She guessed that numbers weren't important, as they obviously didn't start with "one".

"Team Eight, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka," raising a brow, Naru considered that team and sighed.

"What a random group of skills..." she thought to herself.

Iruka waited for them to settle in a small group near the stoic Shino, "Your Jounin will be Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Team Ten, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akamichi." Naru heard the murmurings of that being no surprise, something about family following in their parent's footsteps as the three collected around the blonde girl called first. "Asuma Sarutobi will be with Team Six," Iruka finished as the three found seats.

Iruka looked around and sighed, seeing that half the class remained unsorted. Best to get this done sooner as opposed to later... "Team Seven, Naru Kazami, Sakura Harano, Sasuke Uchiha." As expected, the mentioned blonde bolted upright.

"Wait, you said 'kunoichi would be spread evenly'. Why two on a team?"

Cracking a slight grin, Iruka leaned on his desk, "What? Have a problem with sharing Sasuke with Sakura?"

Growling and cracking her knuckles, the girl responded, "No, I have a problem sharing air with him."

"Regardless, the team is set. Your Jounin is Kakashi Hatake."

Scowl firmly in place, Naru slumped back into her chair and waited out the rest of the assignment period. As usual, Sakura seemed content to alternately fawn over Sasuke, who couldn't be bothered to stop brooding about something or another, and shooting glares at her as if her opinion mattered.

This continued for nearly two hours, as various Jounin showed up to collect their teams. Naru noted the room, and it's two other occupants and swore colorfully. "Where is this Kakashi person? Late to his first day..."

Sakura whirled on the griping blonde, obviously short of patience as well, "He'll be here when he's here."

There was a moment as Naru slipped her mask down, hiding the ember-red glint in her eyes. "Of course. How silly of me to expect a Jounin to take his job seriously. You know better, that much is obvious, Haruno-san."

The pink-haired kunoichi stared incredulously at the snarky blonde, having not dealt with her or her mercurial moods before. She rose and seemed intent to confront the fox-masked and ill-tempered girl when she noted the almost idle grip that Naru had on her short sword. Blinking and wondering how she missed that detail, Sakura turned and instead focused on Sasuke and trying to impress the stoic boy.

To her frustration, Sasuke rose and approached the short-temepered blonde, speaking her name quietly to get her attention, "Kazami."

A painted fox face turned to regard him. "Yes?"

"Where did you learn to fight?"

Naru tilted her head, considering the question and what she would answer. Within the safety of her thoughts, Naru cursed Shikamaru for all she was worth for being predictably right. Feeling the impatience begin rolling off the last Uchiha like a physical thing, she sighed and leaned back, "A friend who is ANBU and a Genin teamed last year spar and practice with me. It's a style I developed to work with my personal strengths."

Nodding once after a moment's contemplation, Sasuke took a seat again, seemingly satisfied.

Not one to let such an impasse as her chosen crush ignoring her go unchallenged, Sakura turned on Naru, "Personal style? You mean there's no real form to it? Doesn't that mean you're just flailing around as you like?"

"No, I don't."

Leveling a disbelieving look at her, Sakura just rolled her eyes. Apparently she had forgotten the few times they had been paired together to spar... "Right."

There weren't a lot of things Naru truly took offense to. Insults directed at her friends and her training however, were on the list. "So, Forehead," recalling Ino's personal insult for Haruno, the blonde tried it out to great effect. Pink hair bristled as green eyes snapped her way. "Learn much taijutsu from those books?"

Sasuke looked at the two, realizing that for once, the females in closest contact with him weren't fighting over him. It was rather liberating. Hoping to capitalize on this new found sense of freedom, he leaned back, breathing in deeply.

Naru glanced from a serene looking Sasuke to a livid Sakura and decided that whoever it was that came up with this team idea had a sadistic streak.

That thought in mind, the sound of the classroom door opening pulled the attention of two angry young women and one strangely content Uchiha.

A tall man, thin, with a mask over most of his face with his forehead protector pulled down over one eye peered at them impassively. "My first impression of you is..."

Naru's eyes narrowed, Sasuke leaned back and yawned, while Sakura twitched in place, hand clenching.

"That I don't like you. Meet on the roof in five minutes." Without another word, the man disappeared in a rustle and burst of leaves and wind.

Cursing the fate that had her set up with not only an Uchiha, but a Jounin that arrived two hours late to pick up their own team, Naru stomped out of the room ahead of the others. "Yeah. Feeling's mutual."

–

AN: Yes, Damn It, Yukari! That Yukari. From Touhou. I told you it got out of hand.

Ultimately the plot was going to have Naruto-become-Yukari return to Yomi to find Ran, before everything, and befriend the Ninetails, basically making this all a looped self fulfilling situation. Naruto-as-Yukari would become better at 'gaps' and eventually truly become that idea of a 'savior demons prayed for'. If you follow Touhou Dojin, you can probably figure out where this was inspired from. Tohonifun, if you don't Go read some **_awesome_**.


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